08.04.2026
Every asset, whether it’s an offshore installation, a subsea system or piece of critical equipment, reaches the same point eventually. The end of its working life. Left unmanaged, degradation doesn’t wait. It accelerates. This is where decommissioning is inevitable.
As one of the most complex and capital-intensive phases in the asset lifecycle, decommissioning is also driven by specialist talent. The only issue is that there is a widening skills shortage in the oil and gas sector. At Morson, we close the gap.
Oil and gas (O&G) decommissioning is crucial to the transition énergétique, shifting from late-life asset management to repurposing infrastructure for carbon capture, hydrogen, and offshore énergies renouvelables. And the progress depends on specialist engineers, projects leaders, and operations experts who can deliver safely and at pace.
The demand is only growing. Across oil and gas, nucléaire, and wider l'énergie infrastructure, ageing assets are driving urgent need for skills in dismantling, waste management, and environmental remediation.
En tant que Senior Consultant – Energy at Morson Edge, I specialise in attracting and retaining specialists, including engineers, project managers, and operations who keep decommissioning on track and transition moving forward.
A path towards energy transition – and the workforce challenge behind it
Decommissioning plays a critical role as offshore oil and gas assets reach the end of their operational life. In the UK, managing late-life assets supports both economic recovery and the government’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
It is essential for environmental protection, safety, and regulatory compliance. By isolating reservoirs and removing ageing infrastructure, decommissioning prevents leaks, reduces long-term liabilities, and mitigates the risks associated with corroded offshore structures. Just as importantly, it frees up space for new energy developments, enabling carbon capture, hydrogen, and offshore renewables to scale.
However, the transition is being held back by a growing skills gap. Around 150,000 people are currently employed in the UK oil and gas sector. Yet the energy transition will require closer to 200,000 workers in the UK alone, and an estimated 38 million additional professionals globally.
Oil and gas professionals are central to closing that gap. Their skills are highly transferable and already aligned with the needs of the energy transition:
- Expertise in subsea engineering, marine operations, and heavy lifting translates directly into offshore renewables.
- The sector is actively supporting nearly 90% of global CCUS capacity and investing in hydrogen, geothermal, and solar.
- Industry-wide initiatives, such as offshore energy skills passports, are helping workers move between oil and gas and renewables.
- There is a clear need to retrain and redeploy existing workforces, particularly across the North Sea.
Decommissioning itself is also evolving. Infrastructure is no longer simply removed. Platforms and pipelines are increasingly repurposed for carbon capture and storage and hydrogen production. With over 12,000 offshore platforms worldwide approaching end of life, the scale of this challenge is significant.
This is why decommissioning matters. It enables the safe retirement of legacy assets while creating the conditions for cleaner infrastructure. But with skills shortages threatening delivery, the risk to both energy transition targets and energy security is real.
This is where I help clients connect with the specialist talent needed to keep decommissioning programmes moving. We also help professionals transition from oil & gas to renewable energy jobs.
The danger of late-stage capability gaps in live or high-risk environments
Ageing and abandoned infrastructure presents serious challenges. From offshore platforms to pipelines and wells, deterioration introduces safety, environmental, financial, and legal risks.
Decommissioning manages that risk in some of the most complex environments in the energy lifecycle.
Without proper decommissioning:
- Residual hydrocarbons can leak from unplugged wells and pipelines
- Corroded structures can fail under extreme weather, releasing debris and toxic materials
- Greenhouse gases such as methane can escape from legacy assets
- Long-term liabilities and remediation costs increase significantly
These risks extend beyond oil and gas. Across sectors, leaving infrastructure unmanaged leads to rising costs, inefficiencies, and exposure to operational failure. Delaying decommissioning only compounds the problem. The longer assets are left, the more hazardous and expensive they become to remove.
Regulatory pressure and safety-critical environments
Decommissioning is one of the most hazardous stages in the oil and gas lifecycle, combining unfamiliar tasks, constantly changing environments, and a workforce often heavily reliant on contractors.
Oil and gas decommissioning is also the final phase of an energy project’s lifecycle. At this stage, safety, leadership, and human performance become decisive. Projects must strictly meet regulatory requirements while dismantling infrastructure, managing waste, and restoring environments.
Key risk areas include:
Process safety and major accident hazards (MAHs) – Work near live pipelines or hydrocarbon sources requires precise control to prevent fires, explosions, or loss of containment.
Structural and lifting hazards – Dismantling ageing infrastructure introduces significant hazards during heavy lifting and subsea operations, particularly where assets have degraded over time.
Environmental contamination – Improper handling or delays increase the risk of pollution and long-term environmental damage or catastrophes. For instance, abandoned coalmines and oil and gas wells are one of the biggest world polluters or hurricanes which can destroy and move subsea equipment.
Loss of knowledge and fragmented data – When the data is disconnected across different departments, it simply hampers risk assessments, delays, decision-making, and limits the ability to safely execute decommissioning projects.
Supply chain and specialist labour shortages – A lack of specialist skills creates bottlenecks in high-risk, technically complex activities.
Regulatory non-compliance – Missed deadlines or incomplete decommissioning can lead to penalties, increased costs, and reputational damage.
Without specialised knowledge, the decommissioning phase presents critical dangers and safety risks. This is why expertise is crucial. In my work at Morson Edge, providing clients with the assurance that they can navigate the critical stage with highly qualified specialists and confidence is key.
Coordinating complexity across disciplines
O&G decommissioning is not a single activity. It requires coordination across different sectors, including engineering, construction, and specialist labour.
As it is an increasingly complex, high-stakes process which requires intense, multi-disciplinary coordination, the projects often involve managing risks in hostile ocean environments while meeting regulatory and environmental safety standards.
Therefore, the success depends on how well these interfaces are managed:
Engineering to construction
Detailed planning must translate into executable strategies, which can involve crane vessel operations or cutting techniques. Misalignment leads to delays, scope gaps, and cost overruns, especially when dealing with non-piggable pipelines or degraded assets.
Construction to specialist labour
This involves coordinating heavy-lift operations and specialised machinery with personnel like ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) operators, subsea technicians, and structural welders. Safety is paramount here as this interface frequently involves high-risk activities in harsh environments.
Engineering to specialist labour
Technical expertise must be clearly underwood and applied by on-site experts. This ensures safe and accurate execution. For instance, subsea field engineers can accurately interpret technical plans for subsea removal and that specialised equipment (e.g. cutting tools) aligns with the engineering requirements for structure removal.
These interfaces often determine where projects succeed or fail.
Specialist projects need specialist people
O&G decommissioning demands a highly skilled, multidisciplinary workforce. Typical roles involve planning and executing the removal, disposal, or repurposing of offshore/onshore infrastructure at the end of its life.
Key positions include:
- Decommissioning Managers
- Subsea Engineers
- Environmental Specialists
- Chefs de projet
- ROV operators and subsea technicians
- Welders, riggers, and offshore trades
The highest demand remains concentrated in key hubs such as Aberdeen (UK North Sea) and major UK industrial regions, while globally, markets like Stavanger and Houston continue to compete for the same talent.
The UK alone is expected to spend around £27 billion on offshore decommissioning between 2023 and 2032. The scale is clear: the pressure is on skills.
At the same time, the workforce must evolve as the transition will see a significant shift, with offshore energy jobs projected to grow to 225,000 by 2030.
Keeping decommissioning on track
At Morson, we help clients navigate this complexity. We supply the specialists who keep decommissioning projects on track, on budget and on point. Whether your company is looking for oil & gas, power system or renewable energy specialists, we support clients across the full lifecycle.
To connect with the specialist talent, reach out to me at Harry.Feest@morson.com.
Or if you’re looking for technical expertise, Morson Praxis is one of the UK’s leading oil and gas consultancies. Our engineering consultancy team successfully delivered projects across the UK, helping clients revitalise their operations through new technologies and smarter tractions methods.
Because decommissioning is not really the final stage. But the starting point for what comes next.
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