The Effects of International Laws on Offshore Floating Crude Oil Platforms: An Insight into Nigeria's Passivity

Abstract

The dual functionality of the oil and gas floating stations namely: As vessels and as oil and gas producing facilities create legal complications. The question therefore arises as to whether the floating facilities should be treated in a way analogous to trading ship tankers? Or should they be legally regarded as lifelong offshore installations akin to wellhead platforms? It is against the backdrop of the complex legal questions that this enquiry sets to provide a discourse of the extant legal obligations of States under existing international law in relation to the regulation of offshore floating oil facilities (including FPSO, FSO; FDPSO, FSRU) and, to consider the extent to which Nigeria’s regulatory regime is providing satisfactory and adequate atmosphere for the social and economic efficiency of the oil floating stations, especially FPSOs in face of the lack of globally acceptable classification of the floating facilities.

Keywords: FPSO, Crude Oil, Deep Offshore, Laws