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In this issue of CODA Connect, we welcome several new partners, launch our Northern Territory Decommissioning Location Study, spotlight CODA Partner Hydrobiology, provide the latest CEO's note, provide registration details to our upcoming webinars, introduce our newest team member Victoria Ratushnyak, and provide you the latest decommissioning research updates from the NDRI.
CODA's Growing Partner Network
CODA is proud to welcome 7 new organisations as part of our partnership program.
Join CODA’s Partnership Program
CODA’s Partnership Program enables companies of all sizes in the decommissioning value chain to make modest financial contributions and become partners with CODA. Our partners receive access to full versions of our Forward Outlook and Waste Facilities databases, reports, studies, their associated materials and more.
Beyond the Headlines: Telling Our Own Story
A NOTE FROM CODA CEO
FRANCIS NORMAN
The decommissioning industry has been in the news here in Australia quite a bit of late. A combination of schedule, technical and commercial decisions have come under the scrutiny of a media who have only a passing grasp of the challenges, but a strong desire to pick holes in the work for the sake of a story.
What we do as an industry is incredibly challenging, perhaps the most technically and commercially difficult phase of any operation. Often poorly funded, rarely fully resourced, and largely seen as a reluctant necessity. Successfully decommissioning a facility, through a professionally executed closure, takes time, costs money and is complex, but it is also an opportunity for the industry to demonstrate its commitment to society by living up to its commitments.
Why then is it so poorly understood outside of the small teams of diligent professionals delivering the work? I personally feel a lot of organisations have applied stigma - and almost a level of embarrassment - to decommissioning. There is a reluctance to talk about the work in public, and therefore to inform the media and the broader society of the value decommissioning brings: though safely closing wells, removing infrastructure, the huge volume of recycling, and, where appropriate, through the reuse of some components, as either construction material or to aid in the construction of artificial environments to help to protect our oceans.
If, as an industry, we can’t or won't talk about these benefits and this value, then there is little surprise that others will twist things to fit their own agenda and stories.
At CODA, we are trying to do our part in telling the stories of decommissioning and shining daylight on the great work the industry is doing. This coming, month we have a couple of wonderful webinars and a fascinating new podcast episode in the pipeline. But I would challenge everyone else to look for the good stories in their own work, and even if it's just internal to your organisation, please tell them.
- Francis Norman, CEO & Managing Director
Partner Spotlight: Hydrobiology
Hydrobiology is a specialist environmental consultancy providing high-quality scientific and technical services to their clients, to support marine and aquatic ecosystem management. With teams based in Perth, Brisbane, Singapore, and Brazil, they support both local and international clients, delivering projects across diverse ecological and regulatory contexts. This has resulted in an extensive track record throughout Australia and overseas.
Their clients include government agencies, industry (including offshore oil and gas, mining, utilities, and renewables), and international development organisations.
Hydrobiology is uniquely positioned to support offshore infrastructure decommissioning through its technical expertise in environmental characterisation and contaminant risk assessment.
Hydrobiology has collaborated with research institutions and worked with evidence-based approaches for assessing contaminants of concern associated with offshore decommissioning. Their work supports regulatory engagement and contributes toward industry application of scientific best practice.
Key Capabilities
ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT (ERA)
Hydrobiology undertakes ERA for decommissioned sub sea infrastructure, incorporating high-resolution contaminant profiling in sediment and water, leachate potential, phase partitioning, and probabilistic modelling of bioavailability and ecological dose. Assessments address radiological and toxicological endpoints for NORM isotopes, plastics, and metals using internationally recognised methods (e.g., ERICA Tool, ANZG – Burrlioz and shinyssdtools).
ECOTOXICOLOGY
Hydrobiology collaborates with specialist laboratories to provide applied ecotoxicity services, including site or contaminant-specific testing and the derivation of Default and Site-Specific Guideline Values (DGVs and SSGVs) for contaminants of emerging concern.
MICROPLASTICS AND POLYMER FATE MODELLING
Hydrobiology incorporates particle tracking and hydrodynamic modelling to simulate degradation and dispersal from offshore infrastructure.
INFRASTRUCTURE ASSESSMENT FOR REEFING
Hydrobiology assesses decommissioned infrastructure for artificial reef suitability, considering hazardous materials and site-specific ecological benefits.
BENTHIC HABITAT AND BIODIVERSITY MONITORING
Hydrobiology undertakes advanced multiscale spatial analysis to enable quantitative assessment of habitat structure, disturbance footprints, and recovery trajectories for decommissioning interventions.
REGULATORY SCIENCE AND POLICY INTEGRATION
Hydrobiology supports clients through national and international regulatory engagement. They contribute to adaptive decommissioning strategies, including Rigs-to-Reefs and habitat enhancement options.
INNOVATION AND APPLIED R&D
The Hydrobiology team contributes to initiatives such as the OECD nanoplastics working group, IAEA working groups on radiological risk, and regional data-sharing platforms. They prioritise leading-edge science and contributing to advancements.
Hydrobiology Commitment
Hydrobiology remains committed to scientific excellence, environmental integrity, and delivering data-driven solutions to enable sustainable offshore infrastructure transition.
More information
For detailed information on Hydrobiology, visit their website:
Northern Territory Decommissioning Location Study Released
We're excited to release our new study exploring the infrastructure, capability, and regulatory enablers required to support offshore oil and gas decommissioning in the Northern Territory.
This study confirms there are credible opportunities for the Northern Territory. These opportunities are most relevant to subsea infrastructure and mooring systems associated with assets such as Northern Endeavour, Montara, Blacktip, Barossa, and Ichthys.
For more detailed insights into the study’s outcomes and actionable recommendations, we invite you to explore the public study.
Upcoming Webinars
Latest Advancements in Acoustic Measurements for Well Integrity and Abandonment
Thu, 21 Aug
Join us for our upcoming webinar with CODA Partner DarkVision, where we’ll explore how acoustic technologies are reshaping well integrity assessments and decommissioning operations. This session will highlight the role of high-resolution, 3D acoustic imaging in improving diagnostics and informing abandonment decisions that minimise leakage and environmental risk.
Assessing Environmental Risks in Offshore Decommissioning
Wed, 3 Sep
Join us for our upcoming webinar as we explore a new framework to assess potential environmental risks associated with naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) and mercury in decommissioned offshore infrastructure.
Welcoming Victoria Ratushnyak to the CODA Team
We're proud and excited to welcome Victoria Ratushnyak to our team as Project Manager.
Victoria joins CODA as an experienced energy professional with over 20 years in the resources sector, working across complex onshore and offshore projects.
Victoria has a deep understanding of industry dynamics and has worked extensively in subsea services portfolio management, integrated project delivery, commercial planning, budgeting, and cost control. Victoria holds an MBA from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Master’s degree in Geophysics from the National University of Oil and Gas.
You Might be Interested in
Aging Assets & Decommissioning 2025
8-10 SEP 2025, BRISBANE - AUSTRALIA
Join CODA at the 2nd edition of the annual Aging Assets & Decommissioning Conference in Brisbane, where Australia’s leading industry organisations will share case studies and best practices in aging asset integrity and decommissioning project management.
D&A AUS 2026
23-24 JUN 2026, PERTH - AUSTRALIA
We’re excited to announce the dates for D&A AUS 2026! CODA will be once again partnering with Offshore Network to bring the conference to The Crown, Perth on 23-24 June 2026.
Speaking, sponsorship and attendance opportunities are now open. Get in touch with Erin Fox via efox@offsnet.com to secure you space.
NDRI (National Decommissioning Research Initiative) Update
The NDRI continues to do important research to better understand the impacts of decommissioning oil and gas structures on the Australian marine environment.
D&A AUS 2025
Dr Dianne McLean and Dr Darren Koppel from AIMS, and Dr Garnet Hooper from NOPSEMA joined NDRI Program Director Renae Larsen in a Science discussion panel exploring key environmental considerations for offshore decommissioning: from the biodiversity, fishery and habitat values of subsea infrastructure, to environmental interactions of potential contaminants, key uncertainties and challenges and the application of the new risk assessment framework for NORM and Mercury.
The panel shared valuable insights from recent research and reflected on how we can better embed ecological and contaminant risk knowledge into industry planning, environmental assessment, and regulatory engagement, to support robust decisions and build broader stakeholder engagement.
Structures in the Marine Environment 2025 Conference
The latest from NDRI, AIMS and ANSTO was shared at INSITE NORTH SEA's Structures in the Marine Environment (SIME) Conference in held 23-24th June in Edinburgh Scotland.
Dr Darren Koppel and Dr Tom Cresswell joined (remotely) to discuss NDRI's recently released environmental risk assessment framework for the offshore decommissioning of NORM and Mercury contaminated oil and gas infrastructure, alongside other critical research topics addressing offshore marine artificial structures and legacy of decommissioning globally.
Tom and Darren were joined by fellow speakers Dr Sarah Gall Lecturer in Marine Science, University of Plymouth and ISAB Member and Christoph Gade senior researcher, The National Decommissioning Centre, Aberdeen, for a Q&A discussion panel.
NDRI Supported PhD Student Update
Congratulations to Alexandra Bastick, whos honours research with Charles Sturt University and ANSTO has now been published in the Journal of Environmental Radioactivity.
This important study adapted a standard microalgal toxicity test to assess chronic ionising radiation effects on Tisochrysis lutea. Results showed resilience up to 8.7 mGy/h and hormesis at low doses.
This work supports the development of water quality guidelines for ionising radiation in Australian marine ecosystems, critical for the management of NORM during offshore oil and gas decommissioning.
