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Mineral Resources Management Division - Rigs to Reefs Workshop

Ron Twachtman

Mr. Twachtman has over twenty-four years experience in the offshore construction industry. Ron founded TSB in 1987. Since then TSB has been actively involved in decommissioning offshore facilitics in thc Gulf of Mexico and internationally. Ron holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University and is a Registered P.E. in Texas.

~From Transcript ~

First thing I'd like to do is establish some of the nomenclature especially when we refer to the word "rigs."

As generally used, at least in the programs we've talked about here in the rigs to reef, the rig is actually an offshore platform. You can see here in this kind of a stick diagram that the platform itself consists of a deck which is the portion above water of the superstructure, and that supports the equipment used to process the oil and gas.

There's the jacket which is the substructure or portion below the water which is used to support the deck and equipment, and in the piles which fix the platform to the sea floor. And in all but a few of the cases it's only the jacket that's used for the artificial reef.

The upper portion , above-water deck and equipment that's generally transported to shore for disposal or for some reuse.

In addition, the artificial reef programs are all about the creation of artificial reefs to enhance fishing generally. And the offshore platforms are just one of many means or materials that's used in the creation of these artificial reefs.

We've heard some of the other examples of materials used consisting of automobile bodies, dumpsters, household appliances, bed frames, tires, airplanes, boats, concrete. We even have now some private companies which design and build special structures from fiberglass, plastics, concrete, and other similar materials of convenience for the artificial reefs.

And here you can see in the case of a platform what they would look like in place and then showing the jacket portion which is the reef component as it would be laid down, transported and laid down to an artificial reef location.

Some of the topics that I wanted to cover today would be the evolution of the programs in general legislation which provide the authority for the programs, how the programs work in practice, some of the benefits derived from the programs.

And I would place the suggestions for changes with a little bit of information on some of the international programs and a little bit of information nationally on the artificial reefing.

Starting with the early evolution of the programs, we've had artificial reefs that have been going for over a hundred years now in various locations.

The mid-60's roughly was when the federal government began really taking a keen interest in the programs, not in the programs but keen interest in the artificial reefs. And they actually created about ten artificial reefs to study. Generally those were off of the Atlantic coast.

Various organizations within the federal government participated in that which was picked up by the National Marine Fisheries. The National Marine Fisheries was really one of the lead organizations in getting the artificial reef programs.

In '83 the MMS supported the use of the obsolete oil and gas facilities for artificial reef materials. Then in 1984 the National Fishing Enhancement Act was passed followed in '85 by the National Artificial Reef Plan.

Those really set out, as was stated earlier, what the states need to consider. They gave the authority for the states to initiate the plans and really put things into motion.

On the state level, in '86 Louisiana developed it's Louisiana Fishing Enhancement Act, followed shortly thereafter with the Artificial Reef Program.

Texas began in '89 with the Texas Artificial Reef Act and followed in '90 with its program. And here you can see off of Louisiana which Rick Kasprzak will speak more in detail on.

These are the artificial reef locations in permitted areas off of Louisiana. It shows the location of those, and some of the facts, again, with which Rick will speak on in more detail about Louisiana.

Currently consists of 86 jackets bordering A.P.C.'s 28 permitted sites and nine planning areas. They received just over 13 and a half million in their artificial reef fund.

Off of the state of Texas you can see here the location of the various reef sites. You can distinguish from these two maps what significant difference between the two programs. In Louisiana there are nine planning areas in which we would deposit the reef materials.

In Texas there are no Planning areas.

There are individual sites that permit on the sites specific basis. So you'll see that they're a little more spread out.

Some of the facts on the Texas program, the 36 jackets, we have two decks, 12 liberty ships, three barges, one tugboat, 100 concrete blocks, 46 tunnel sections, various car bodies and some pipe. There are 36 reef donations in the 26 sites and just over 5 million contributed to the Texas Artificial Reef Fund.

Generally the way the program works in practice we go through three steps, the permitting process, the actual decommissioning and depositing of material in the reef sites and then the post job.

In the permitting, the operator generally will propose reef candidates to the state. That would describe the material, the reef location, general information such as that.

The state then submits permits to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps of Engineers will review, and they'll follow through with the other pertinent agencies for their approval. If it's approved, they'll issue the permit.

The actual work, the contractors which will generally be a heavy LIF lift marine contractor, they will clean the platform, dismantle it in the appropriate manner, and that overall process is what we would refer to as decommissioning.

They would then either place the structure in its current location on the sea floor as part of the reef or move it to the designated reef site if it's not at that location.

The final location and orientation is noted in the report, and the buoy is placed and maintained until it's finally chartered, assuming it is a new reef site.  If its existing then that part is not necessary.

And at the end of the job, the operator submits the donations, the financial contributions to the state. The state issues a certificate of acceptance whereby they accept title to the reef donation the material there and also accept the liability.

Here we have a graph showing in the Gulf of Mexico the number of platforms installed as a dash line versus the number of platforms removed as a solid line. And up until the early 90's, there was more platforms to be installed than there were being removed.

We had a few years in there where that trend reversed itself more came down than were actually installed. And generally we're looking on an average of just over 100 per year that will be decommissioned and then have the opportunity for those that are being placed in the reefs.

The general benefits that we see derived from the program is that they do meet the goals set out by the 1985 National Artificial Reef Program and plan. It has contributed to many research programs.

They also are able to now maintain and continue to promote the enhancement of reef sites by maintaining its -- those are -- as those platforms exist out there now, they are reef locations. So the maintenance is that we not disturb them and leave them there to continue as reef sites. 

And then the financial contributions that have been made to the states of Texas and Louisiana. On the international aspect of the rigs to reef, there's the international maritime organization the I.M.O. that is about the international community determining what to do with generally ocean disposal of which the offshore platforms fall under. 

They provide guidance there. And most of the international community has ratified that I.M.O. treaty under which we have another treaty OSPAR, O-S-P-A-R. They have a dumping convention which regulates and places material in the marine environment. This applies to the northeast Atlantic.

Other organizations that are involved in that is the conference on Artificial Reefs and Related Aquatic Habitats. The acronym is CARAH. Recently October of this year was a conference that they held in Italy.

And the objectives of that group was to provide an international forum for the exchange of new technical information on all aspects of artificial reefs and related habitats additionally to promote new research, programs and policies which pertains to artificial habitat enhancement and management technologies and also to summarize existing programs on artificial habitat technology through the evaluation of the effectiveness at the international level.

There are numerous artificial reefs internationally. There are programs that currently exist in Italy, Spain, Portugal, the U.K., the Netherlands, France, Greece, Norway, Israel, Monaco, Russia, Poland, Turkey, Finland -- quite a number of them. 

Another one of the organizations is the European artificial reef research network which was started in May of '95 from the European commission for funding again to look into it, consider artificial reefing and mainly in the European waters.

So I think we can see from what we've done in the Gulf Coast particularly, which I'm more familiar with, and internationally a very large interest and all aimed at the benefits and the purpose of the plan that we have nationally here which is to increase and enhance the fishing opportunities. Thank you.