ABL Strengthens Role in Australia’s Offshore Energy Sector Through Major Bass Strait Decommissioning Assignment

ABL Strengthens Role in Australia’s Offshore Energy Sector Through Major Bass Strait Decommissioning Assignment

(IN BRIEF) ABL has been appointed by Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd to provide marine warranty survey services for the Gippsland Decommissioning Campaign #1 Project, Australia’s largest offshore decommissioning campaign. The project will involve the offshore removal of up to 12 platforms from Bass Strait as part of Esso’s first major decommissioning campaign in the region, where assets have supported Australia’s energy supply for more than 50 years. The wider Gippsland Basin Joint Venture asset base includes approximately 400 wells, six subsea facilities, over 800 kilometres of subsea pipelines and 19 platforms. With around 60,000 tonnes of offshore structures to be removed and a goal of recycling more than 95 percent of materials, the campaign is a major milestone for Australia’s offshore energy sector and circular economy ambitions. ABL’s role includes suitability surveys, technical review and approval of decommissioning documentation, and on-site attendance during warranted offshore operations. The offshore lifting campaign is scheduled to begin in 2027 using Allseas’s PIONEERING SPIRIT.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 27-May-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — ABL is preparing to support one of the most significant offshore decommissioning programmes ever undertaken in Australia, after being appointed by Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd to provide marine warranty survey services for the Gippsland Decommissioning Campaign #1 Project.

The campaign, led by Esso as operator of the Bass Strait assets within the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture, will involve the offshore removal of up to 12 platforms as part of Australia’s largest offshore decommissioning project. The assets have played a major role in supplying energy to Australia for more than five decades and form part of a wider offshore portfolio in Bass Strait that includes around 400 wells, six subsea facilities, more than 800 kilometres of subsea pipelines and 19 platforms.

The first Bass Strait decommissioning campaign represents a major step in the country’s offshore energy transition and circular economy objectives. Around 60,000 tonnes of offshore structures are expected to be removed, with a target of recycling more than 95 percent of the recovered materials. The scale and complexity of the programme make it a landmark undertaking for Australia’s offshore oil and gas sector.

ABL’s Australian operations have been engaged to provide marine warranty survey support for the first phase of the campaign. The company’s role is focused on helping ensure that the marine operations are carried out safely, efficiently and in line with approved technical procedures. Preparatory work is already well progressed ahead of the offshore lifting campaign, which is scheduled to begin in 2027.

The removal of up to 12 platforms will be carried out using Allseas’s PIONEERING SPIRIT, one of the world’s most advanced offshore construction and heavy-lift vessels. Ahead of the campaign, ABL is undertaking suitability surveys to confirm the proposed marine spread and is carrying out technical reviews and approvals of decommissioning documentation. Its work will also include on-site attendance during all warranted offshore operations to verify that activities are executed safely and in accordance with approved plans.

Adam Solomons, East Coast Manager at ABL Australia, said the project marks an important moment for Australia’s offshore industry, given the technical complexity of removing, transporting and discharging large offshore structures that have been in place for up to half a century. He noted that ABL’s long-standing decommissioning experience, combined with its multidisciplinary marine expertise and knowledge of offshore Australia, positions the company to help Esso reduce operational risk and optimise project execution.

ABL has more than 40 years of experience supporting decommissioning projects across the global offshore oil and gas and offshore wind sectors. Its services cover the full project lifecycle, from feasibility studies and owner’s engineering to marine consultancy and marine warranty survey.

In Australia, ABL is headquartered in Perth and also operates from offices in Sydney and Brisbane. The company also has a presence in Melbourne through its sister company OWC, a renewable energy consultancy. ABL is part of Oslo-listed ABL Group.

The company supports a wide range of marine and energy operations across Australia, including offshore transportation and installation, operations and maintenance, project cargo shipments and decommissioning. Through its technical and marine advisory services, ABL helps clients manage risk, control costs and deliver complex projects safely across the energy and maritime sectors.

For further information, please contact:

Endre Johansen, Corporate Communications AS
Telephone: +47 41 61 06 05
Email: endre.johansen@corpcom.no

About ABL Group ASA

ABL Group (OSE: ABL Group ASA – ticker code “ABL”) is a leading independent global consultancy delivering energy, marine, engineering and digital solutions to drive safety and sustainability in renewables, maritime and oil & gas sectors. The group has offices in 39 countries worldwide and operates under four brands: ABL, OWC, Longitude and AGR.

SOURCE: ABL Group