Marine, Environment and Offshore Safety

Oceans and seas are important areas of operations for the European Oil and Gas industry. To protect the marine environment, exploration, drilling and production are conducted according to the highest industry standards and in line with the applicable EU legislation. The industry is continuously working to further improve the sustainability of its operations.

The offshore oil and gas industry has played a key role in Europe’s economic growth and security of supply over the past 50 years.

Improving our knowledge and understanding of the ocean is key to enabling a responsible and sustainable Blue Economy.
Oil and gas companies undertake a variety of ecological assessments aimed at characterizing and monitoring the environments in which they operate. The industry actively shares lessons from its extensive experience operating in marine environments.

Marine & Environment topics we work on

LNG – a fast lane to make Europe a leader in clean shipping

LNG is a well-developed alternative fuel of choice to help meet the IMO GHG and Air Quality objectives. It achieves meaningful CO₂ emission reductions compared to traditional fuels.

LNG also drastically reduces air pollutant emissions and can significantly improve air quality in port and coastal areas. It has become a fuel of choice for key shipping companies across the world.

Underwater sound

Underwater sound comes from various natural and man-made sources.

Potential impacts, if any, of a specific sound depends on its characteristics, the marine species receiving the sound and other characteristics of the marine environment.

A range of mitigation measures are typically implemented during offshore oil and gas industry activities.

Biodiversity & Research programmes conducted by IOGP forming part of Ocean Decade Programme:

E&P Sound and Marine Life Joint Industry Programme (IOGP) to further advance understanding of underwater noise (IOGP)
eDNA Joint Industry Programme (IOGP)
INSITE North Sea (Phase 1) – to better understand the influence of man–made structures on the ecosystem (Oil & Gas UK)

EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030

The IPIECA-IOGP Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Working Group (BESWG) has been working for 20 years to continuously improve BES management with the oil and gas industry, recognizing that some industry activities may take place in or near sensitive environments and may affect the natural environment.

We support governments and civil society in achieving global and local conservation goals and contributing to enhanced scientific knowledge and science-based policymaking.

We are ready to continue working with all the relevant stakeholders, sharing our technical knowledge, experience, good practices, and assist in the improvement of the biodiversity regulatory framework.

Zero Pollution Ambition

IOGP supports the overall strategic direction enshrined in the EU Action Plan Towards a Zero Pollution Ambition for air, water and soil to reduce the environmental footprint of our societal activities while caring for European citizens’ well-being and restoring biodiversity.

To achieve further pollution reduction, IOGP would recommend as general principles to:

Strengthen the implementation, enforcement, and harmonisation among Member States of the existing EU legislation
Conduct thorough impact assessments on all the legislative and non-legislative future proposals

Ensure stable and predictable regulatory framework that is necessary for long-term investments