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‘Every square inch is covered in life’: the ageing oil rigs that became marine oases
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2023
118 points (98.4% liked)
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Is it possible to remove the part that's above sea level and make a reef out of that, next to what's already below the surface? That way nobody has to see these ugly structures and the sea life get more reef.
Sure, anything is possible without enough c4.
Whether it's economical to do so and the risks of making a submerged navigation hazard are worthwhile is up for debate.
I suspect we'll land in between - many of these rigs are far beyond where anyone is likely to see them and should be retained as is. The ones closer to the coast should probably be decommissioned or modified as you suggest with navigation markers.
I mean why destroy them at all. I have yet to read the article and I’m ready to fall asleep so hopefully this is a coherent thought, but why not try to convert it into a research station or something wild life can use
Actually I do know why they don’t covert it because it’ll probably cost a lot and that’s without concern of ownership and all that fun stuff
Removing the top part would mean ships have no visual cue there’s a bunch of metal underneath the surface that could wreck their ship. Better to just leave it intact.
Thats a good point. Hide it just below the surface so ships wreck themselves on it. Those sink and become more reefs that then go on to scuttle more ships. Circle of life!
Ted Kaczynski liked that
Ah that seems slightly important and something I had not considered
Ships use charts to dodge such things. All of those rigs should already be on the charts so as long as the "reef" is deep enough for small boats to pass over it should be all good.
Tbh I'd kinda like to see some of them turned into hotels. It's not that I like oil drilling, but these rigs are still incredibly huge and complicated structures, and given more or less full access to a decommissioned oil rig and a decent camera I could possibly spend a couple days just exploring there.
The upkeep costs would be huge, I imagine. They hard to access and are not designed for human leisure. Maybe one oil plataform could do it, for the novelty seeking guests, but can't think how the costs are going to work.
Maybe the top part can be something socially useful like a weather station and scuba school.
Ah yes such unsightly things out in the middle of nowhere where the average human being will never be within seeing distance of. How ugly they are out there completely out of sight from 90% of the human population.
I sailed out of TX earlier this year and the amount of shit out there was depressing. It's like an industrial wasteland out in the ocean. Polluted and forgotten. But you're right, that's not something most people will ever encounter.
What do you mean man the rigs look dope as shit. The only good thing to come out of fossil fuel industry
I mean, isn't the point of this article that they won't stay that way?
Humans alter the landscape, but when nature takes it back why take away what it's making use of?
Why does everything have to be for us?
What about ships passing through. How are they supposed to avoid scraping their bottoms on the columns if they can't see the columns. I think there needs to be enough structure above water too.
Using the same charts they're already using. Those things aren't visible in the dark or when it's raining/foggy etc. Ships rely on charts and known channels.