Ghana to learn decommissioning from Scottish Forth Ports

Ghana is ready to update skills in best international practices in de-commissioning that’s removal, reuse or disposal especially of offshore oil and gas installations, Mr Egbert Faibille, Chief Executive Officer, Petroleum Commission has stated.

He said oil and gas installations which may include; sub-sea equipment fixed to the ocean floor as well as platforms ranging from the smaller structures to the enormous concrete or steel structures, needed to be properly de-commissioned after its lifespan.

Mr Egbert Faibille told the Ghana News Agency in an interview after consultation with representative of the Forth Ports of Dundee, Scotland that over the next couple of decades or so a growing number of redundant oil and gas installations would be taken out of service and de-commissioned.

He said Ghana therefore needed to develop solutions to de-commission the structures taking into account the impact on the environment, on the health and safety of workers involved, costs and technology required.

The Petroleum Commission officials undertook an educational tour of Forth Ports of Dundee as part of the broader maiden Oil and Gas Trade Mission to Aberdeen, Scotland.

The mission was organised jointly by the Commission; United Kingdom/Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UK-GCC); and the Scottish Development International (SDI), the overseas trade arm of Scottish Enterprise.

Mr Egbert Faibille therefore appealed to Forth Ports of Dundee to share experiences with Ghana.

Forth Ports of Dundee, Scotland is one of the largest economic generators in the city of Dundee and provides services - petroleum products; forest products; fertilizer; grains and cereals; minerals; manufacturing metals; de-commissioning; and oil and gas equipment and materials.

Mr Mark Gaffney, Forth Ports’ Operations Manager explained that the port had a joint venture agreement with a Norwegian company that undertook any decommissioning project at the Forth Ports and assured the Ghanaian team of their readiness to share notes with Ghana.

Mr Gaffney advised Ghana to immediately begin to invest in building local de-commissioning experts.

Mr Stephen Sekyere-Abankwa, Board Chairman of the Petroleum Commission commended the management team of the Forth Ports of Dundee, Scotland for the willingness to share experiences with Ghana.

About 100 delegates from both upstream and downstream sector including; Cape3 Services Limited; Vulcan Natural Resources; West Coast Gas Ghana Limited; Gulfshield Offshore Services Limited; Media; and Legal firms are participating in the maiden oil and gas trade mission.