Sustainable Management Techniques for Offshore Oil and Gas Operations

Abstract

This paper addresses the present environmental misconceptions common in the oil and gas development sector. Some innovative solutions are proposed to solve the problems caused by oil and gas development activities in the marine environment. These solutions are based on the holistic environmental approach, which takes into account the complexity of natural processes and also takes advantage of these processes, rather than working against them. Some of the proposed models are marine protected areas in oil sites (MPAOS), ocean fertilization and CO₂ utilization (OFCU), integrated coastal pollution balancing (ICPB), artificial recruitment in fisheries (ARFS), and artificial rigs from oil rigs (AROR). The main goal of the proposed approach is to maintain and restore ecological sustainability and ecosystem integrity. As a result, each solution will not only stop destruction of the environment but also improve the productivity, biodiversity, and fisheries in the marine ecosystem.

Keywords:

• ecosystem-based management
• innovative management techniques
• sustainable management