genesis offshore platform still setting the bar

From the moment Mariana Verdi stepped onto Genesis, Chevron’s first deepwater platform, she sensed it was special.

Those working aboard the U.S. Gulf of Mexico floating facility beamed with pride, and it’s no wonder why. Genesis is recognized as an industry legend that, as it reached new depths, set new heights of offshore innovation.

And while this platform is being decommissioned, the Genesis spirit of progress lives on in the next generation of platforms, both in operation and under construction.

Genesis was constructed in the late 1990s. The technological advances and ingenuity needed to create it helped set the stage for subsequent successes in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico—and around the world.

Since coming online in 1999, Genesis has:

• Been the first 705-ft, 28,700-ton, floating steel spar to house both drilling and production facilities.
• Operated half a mile underwater, servicing 20 wellheads arranged on the sea floor.
• Produced more than 120 million barrels of oil.

Planning for retirement is a natural part of responsible oil and gas development.

The decision to decommission Genesis was made in 2019, about 20 years after it produced first oil. Much like bringing the project online, retiring Genesis has required the expertise of a vast number of people and years of effort.

“The removal is just part of the whole story,” Verdi said. “With the aim to safely and responsibly do this, we started planning years before we even turned off the wells.”

Verdi detailed how Chevron teams meticulously mapped out everything from cleaning and disassembling equipment to transporting the mammoth structure some 75 miles to shallower waters.

“Next year the facility will be part of the Louisiana Rigs to Reefs program,” she said. “After the structure is carefully cleaned, it will be converted into an underwater artificial reef and create a new, thriving habitat for marine life.”

Chevron’s engineers are now sharing lessons learned from decommissioning Genesis with colleagues on other assets, again using the platform as a guiding light for future projects to follow.