AI-Enabled Offshore Circular Economy: Tracking, Tracing and Optimizing Asset Decommissioning

Abstract

Abstract The objective of the industrial case study is to address the challenge of efficiently managing end-of-life offshore assets while meeting established ESG targets. The offshore industry uses substantial amounts of steel, and current practices for handling these assets are often not transparent, leading to criticism for unsustainable and non-compliant scrapping procedures. The presented approach combines engineering and technical data from offshore assets with decommissioning best practices and digital and Al technologies to ensure a transparent and ESG-compliant approach to scrapping. This will provide auditable evidence of ESG compliance and is expected to address the challenge of managing end-of-life offshore assetswhile providing sustainable metals alternatives for heavy industry. The use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) requires asset owners to demonstrate compliance with net zero targets, which is mainly impacted by the main material groups, such as steel. Recycled steel maintains its strength properties and if produced using electric arc furnaces and transported efficiently emissions can be minimized. The implemented solution offers a transparent, reliable, and ESG-optimized approach for scrapping assets. Each step in the process, from cutting to transportation to the metals furnace, can be tracked and audited, ensuring the end-product can be classified as ‘green’ steel. This steel can be used by asset owners to construct new vessels or facilities or can be sold to other users, creating a true circular economy where a significant amount of embodied carbon can be recycled and made net zero. The use of advanced digital technologies in the offshore industry's scrapping and recycling process allows for a more transparent and sustainable approach. The procedure includes verification of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) parameters and information on carbon emissions, enabling the selection of the most environmentally friendly approach. This can provide transparency and stability in sourcing, ensure ESG compliance, and result in competitive pricing. Integrating the use of recycled metals, which has significantly lower emissions compared to non-recycled metals, can further decrease resource consumption and emissions while increasing the value of recycled by-products. Under this industrial study, up to 4.3 tons of CO2 can be saved for each ton of recycled stainless-steel scrap utilized. Furthermore, the breakdown of emissions in terms of handling, transportation and operations are illustrated in depth with validated emission factors. The solution can be expanded to cover a variety of materials and assets, both offshore and onshore, to give asset owners peace of mind regarding their ESG responsibilities in the scrapping and construction value chain. This will provide a smooth, transparent, and efficient turnkey solution.