The UK North Sea is entering a decisive phase. Over the next three decades, hundreds of offshore assets will be decommissioned, with estimates placing total costs north of £40–50bn. For operators, service providers, and new duty holders, decommissioning is no longer a future consideration, it's operational reality unfolding right now. Yet, many organizations still rely on systems and processes built for production, not retirement. And that gap is exactly where risk accumulates.

Decommissioning: Far More Than an “End of Life” Event

Decommissioning is often misunderstood as a simple final project step. It is a multi-year, safety-critical, regulator-heavy operational program that introduces a unique set of pressures.

Duty Holder Accountability Is Increasing

As assets change ownership, responsibility doesn’t diminish, it consolidates. New duty holders can inherit:

• Fragmented asset histories
• Inconsistent maintenance records
• Legacy documentation of variable quality
• Regulatory exposure they did not create
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Without a single, governed system of record, proving compliance becomes increasingly challenging.

Regulatory Scrutiny Is Intensifying

The NSTA, HSE, and OPRED expect clear, auditable evidence of:

• Asset condition and integrity decisions
• Maintenance and inspection history
• Risk assessments and change control
• Work execution and contractor activity
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Uncontrolled spreadsheets and shared drives don't stand up in front of regulators or incident investigations.

Cost Control Must Be Relentless

Decommissioning margins are tight, and poor visibility leads to:

• Reactive work
• Inefficient contractor mobilization
• Duplicate inspections and surveys
• Missed opportunities to optimize scope
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Every unplanned intervention increases offshore campaign cost and erodes value.

Critical Knowledge Is Leaving the Basin

The North Sea is experiencing a generational transition. When knowledge lives in personal experience or siloed systems, it disappears as people move on. Decommissioning organizations need institutional memory, not heroic individuals.

Why Traditional CMMS Platforms Fall Short

Most legacy CMMS tools were designed to answer one core question: “How do we keep assets operating?”
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Decommissioning asks a very different set of questions:

• Is this asset safe to maintain, isolate, or dismantle?
• What evidence supports that decision?
• Who approved it and when?
• What work was executed, by whom, and under what controls?
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This is about governance, traceability, and lifecycle control, not simply issuing work orders.

Where IBM Maximo Fits into Decommissioning

IBM Maximo is well suited to the complexity and risk profile of decommissioning. In this context, it becomes the operational system of truth, enabling organizations to:

Establish a Single Asset Record

Consolidate hierarchies, histories, inspections, defects, and documentation into one governed platform, even when data arrives from multiple previous owners.

Prove Compliance by Design

Every decision, inspection, approval, and intervention is time-stamped, role-based, and auditable, which is critical for regulatory confidence.

Control Work in High-Risk Environments

Maximo supports:

• Permit-to-work
• Method statements and task risk assessments
• Contractor management
• Isolation and change control
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All linked directly to asset condition and authorization pathways.

Optimize Decommissioning Spend

With visibility across condition, work, and cost, teams can:

• Reduce reactive maintenance
• Prioritize based on risk, not noise
• Plan more efficient campaigns
• Avoid unnecessary offshore activity

Preserve Knowledge for the Long Term

Maximo captures what was done and why. That context is invaluable as teams evolve and scrutiny increases.

A Platform Designed for the Next 30 Years, Not the Last Three

Across the North Sea, the conversation is shifting.
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Decommissioning organizations (especially new duty holders) are no longer asking: “Can we get by with what we have?”
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They’re asking: “What platform gives us control, confidence, and credibility over the long term?”

Maximo answers that question by treating decommissioning not as an afterthought but as a first-class phase of the asset lifecycle.

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Where Naviam Comes In

At Naviam, we work with asset-intensive organizations operating in high-risk, highly regulated environments including oil and gas, energy, and infrastructure, where control and evidence are non-negotiable. Our focus is helping organizations use IBM Maximo as a governed operational platform, not just a maintenance system.
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In decommissioning scenarios, that means accelerating the transition from fragmented legacy data to a single, auditable system of record, supporting duty holders in demonstrating compliance, managing risk, and controlling cost throughout the decommissioning lifecycle.
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For North Sea operators preparing for the next 30 years of decommissioning activity, control is no longer optional, it's strategic. The organizations that succeed will be those that treat governance, traceability, and operational visibility as core capabilities from day one.
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If this is a conversation your organization is starting to have, Naviam would welcome the opportunity to share perspectives and experiences from across the sector.

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