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Green Ports Toolkit
Southeast Asia · Case study

Thailand, Mercury Decontamination in the Decommissioning of Offshore Platform Topsides

Gulf of Thailand (offshore platform topsides decontaminated by INSEE Ecocycle)Decommissioning regulation 2016; decontamination project 2018

Thailand's Ministerial Regulation on decommissioning petroleum installations (B.E. 2559, 2016), issued under the Petroleum Act, requires concessionaires to submit initial and final decommissioning plans, cost estimates, a Decommissioning Environmental Assessment Report and a Best Practical Environmental Option Report.

They must also lodge security of at least the estimated decommissioning cost (Tilleke & Gibbins, 2016). In 2018, INSEE Ecocycle, the waste management business of Siam City Cement, decontaminated four offshore platform topsides affected by mercury. The company describes this as the first such project in Thailand (INSEE Ecocycle, 2020).

Approach

Plan and fund decommissioning in advance. Decommissioning plans, an environmental assessment and financial security are required before the work starts. They are triggered by events such as an installation being unused for more than a year, or five years remaining on a concession (Tilleke & Gibbins, 2016).

Measure contamination before cutting. Hand-held instruments measured contaminants and mercury vapor, and X-ray fluorescence measured mercury content in the equipment (INSEE Ecocycle, 2020).

Clean to a set standard. Equipment was cleaned by high-pressure jetting, chemical soaking and circulation, with a target of less than 20 parts per million of mercury (INSEE Ecocycle, 2020).

Segregate and verify. Contaminated and clean materials were kept apart, and a third-party laboratory confirmed the results (INSEE Ecocycle, 2020).

Protect workers and the air. Workers wore full personal protective equipment and mercury exposure detectors. Ambient air in the decontamination zone was checked every two hours, and the work area was enclosed, with scrubbing units treating exhaust air (INSEE Ecocycle, 2020).

Results

Four topsides were decontaminated, and the materials were made safe for metal recycling (INSEE Ecocycle, 2020). The client, the location of the work and the tonnage were not disclosed in the sources reviewed.

Transferability

DMC ports can apply the same steps when decommissioning fuel and chemical terminals, pipelines, tanks or other contaminated plant, or when hosting decommissioning yards for offshore structures.

Measure contamination before any cutting. Set a numeric clean-up standard. Separate contaminated from clean material. Have an independent laboratory confirm results before material goes to recycling.

Air monitoring and enclosed work areas protect workers, and requiring decommissioning plans and financial security in advance ensures the work is funded.

Sources

All information used for this case study was based on publicly available resources.