GREENPEACE CALLS ON WOODSIDE TO CLEAN UP ABANDONED TOWERS OFF ONSLOW AND EXMOUTH COASTS
BY ELIZA KLOSER
Greenpeace has released underwater footage of the sunken Griffin Field Riser Turret Mooring (RTM) off the coast of Onslow. Credit: Supplied, Greenpeace.
Woodside has left towers the size of apartment buildings abandoned off the Pilbara coast, and Greenpeace is calling for them to be cleaned up.
An approximately 100-metre-tall oil tower now at the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Onslow was formerly part of BHP’s Griffin Field, but is now owned by Woodside after it acquired BHP’s oil and gas assets last year.
“The offshore oil and gas regulator NOPSEMA has ordered that this tower be removed but Woodside and BHP have so far failed to do so,” said Greenpeace CEO David Ritter.
“Greenpeace demands that Woodside complies with the regulator, urgently removes this structure and disposes of it safely on land.”
Last weekend, Greenpeace activists sailed to another Woodside structure left in the ocean, a riser turret mooring (RTM) about 19 kilometres from Ningaloo Reef.
The activists dropped a banner over the side which said “Woodside don’t be a tosser”.
Greenpeace activists scaled Woodside’s abandoned RTM 19 kilometres from Ningaloo to drop a banner. Credit: Supplied, Greenpeace.
Greenpeace Campaigner Richard George said the two RTMs weren’t the only infrastructure abandoned by Woodside in the country.
“You cannot treat our oceans like this,” he said. “they need to be protected.”
“You need to remove this toxic oil tower from the water and dispose of it on land.
“Sadly, it’s not the only piece of degraded infrastructure that Woodside’s got lying around. There are actually two pieces of kit like this near Ningaloo, and others scattered around the country.”
A Woodside spokesperson said the process to remove the RTMs is underway.
“Woodside plans to remove the entire Griffin Riser Turret Mooring (RTM) [near Onslow] from the offshore area as outlined in the Environment Plan that is under assessment by the regulator,” they said.
“Woodside is currently finalising a competitive tender process for the removal scope of work, with planned removal of the Griffin RTM before the end of 2024 in line with regulatory timeframes.
“Contracts have been awarded to support the safe removal of the Nganhurra RTM [near Ningaloo] from the field. The Nganhurra RTM is planned to be removed at the end of 2023 into early 2024, subject to approvals, weather conditions and vessel availability.”
Listen to an interview with Greenpeace Campaigner Richard George: