Exploring the Spatial Variations of Stressors Impacting Platform Removal in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

Although progress has been made to advance our understanding of the risks involved in offshore oil extraction activities, a regional scale understanding of factors contributing to losses in infrastructure integrity are lacking. Recent data integration efforts have resulted in a comprehensive database that allows for an unprecedented study of the external and internal factors that impact the structural and operational integrity of offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. This study constitutes some of the initial explorations into that database by focusing on the relationships among a diverse set of variables and the age at which a platform is removed. We apply Geographically Weighted Regression to account for the heterogeneity of the operating environment, finding robust yet unexpected relationships that shed light on some of the factors that influence platform removal. Our findings pave the way for future studies aimed at building actionable knowledge.