Naturally occurring coral reefs are today one of the most endangered ecosystems and are also one of the most bio-diverse systems. Once the rig jacket is set to the ocean bed sea, the hard structure provides a perfect surface for corals to attach and grow upon, slowly building a reef, creating an oasis in an otherwise watery desert. So what happens when offshore platforms reach the end of their useful lives?
Oil rigs not serving their purpose any longer are decommissioned, meaning they have to be totally removed from the sea. The end of an oil rig equals the end of a whole ecosystem. This concerned scientists, divers and recreational fishermen in the mid 1980s, so the National Marine Fisheries Service in the U.S developed a plan for the creation of artificial reefs. The Minerals Management Service adopted a policy that supports the reuse of these structures in the development of artificial reefs. So far, so good, but the question whether old oil rigs should be left in the sea as artificial reefs was and is controversial. To explore attitudes toward the “rigs to reefs” concept, researcher Dolly Jørgensen is writing a book comparing the policy in three different places; the Gulf of Mexico, the California coast and the North Sea. In the Gulf of Mexico the first actors supporting the “rigs to reefs” were recreational fishermen who found the best fishing grounds near the oil rigs, they realized that if the oil rig will go - so will the fish.
In Louisiana, the first state to set up a “rigs to reefs” program in 1987, scientists and environmentalist groups supported the artificial habitat created by the platforms. This was a win to win situation. Not having to remove the rigs, the oil companies save money, though they also agree to give the state a cash donation equal to half of the savings over the cost of removal. The funds are used to run the reef program.
In the North Sea things did not go as smoothly. Although Scottish scientists have long supported the idea of “rigs to reefs”, no projects have been approved. Artificial reef creation got mixed up with the debate over ocean dumping in the late 1990s. After Shell attempted to dispose of the oil platform Brent Spar at sea in 1995, Greenpeace was concerned that oil companies might use “rigs to reefs” as a cover for dumping thus they fought to make it illegal under international standards.
