Six options for Brent Spar
15 Jan 2000
The world's biggest White Elephant may not be going to the sea-bed after all. Shell has picked a shortlist of eleven disposal options for Brent Spar, the decommissioned oil storage buoy - and none of them involve deep-sea disposal. However, the company warns, a marine grave may still be the only cost-effective option.
The 11 proposals come from six contractors, and all will be subject to an in-depth evaluation. The options include on-shore scrapping; slicing the hull into sections to be used for artificial reefs, dock gates, a fish farm, or quay extensions; and removing the topside structures for refurbishment as a training centre. Rejected options included converting the Spar into a wave-and-wind power station, which would have seen the structure sprouting huge windmill turbines.
Shell has asked all the contractors to prepare detailed cost analyses of their proposals, which will be submitted at the end of April. The company expects to choose the winning bid before the end of the year, although the final solution to the Brent Spar problem could end up as a combination of several proposals.
