A new web-based offshore infrastructure dashboard has been developed by the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), offering Gulf of Mexico stakeholders a single source for data concerning oil and gas infrastructure in the region.

The Offshore Infrastructure Dashboard (OID) is designed to serve as a resource for federal, state and private agencies to make determinations about aging oil and gas platforms’ eligibility for programs such as Rigs-to-Reefs — an initiative that turns oil and gas platforms destined for decommission into artificial reefs for marine life — instead of being dismantled.

Source: BSEE

Although this data was previously available on the BSEE website, the dashboard’s developers believe that the OID will make access to that data easier.

BSEE also believes that the OID will serve to offer solutions for oil and gas platforms reaching end-of-life without upsetting surrounding ecosystems. Reportedly, the decommissioning and dismantling of oil and gas infrastructure impacts the Gulf of Mexico fishing industry by removing infrastructure that is already serving as artificial reefs and encouraging increased marine life populations.

In the last 10 years, 200 oil and gas platforms have been decommissioned and dismantled.

“We have witnessed an unprecedented loss of reef fish habitat in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Louisiana Congressman Garret Graves. “This dashboard will deliver long-term sustainable wins for the Gulf ecosystem, those that love to fish and the tourism economy. BSEE is utilizing technology and common sense to get ahead and identify artificial reef habitat to promote conservation, access, and drive our local economies. This is a common-sense, 21st century solution, and I look forward to seeing Louisiana and the other Gulf States take advantage of the dividends it will provide.”