J +S Subsea’s Legacy Locker initiative marks a decisive shift in the way companies approach aging subsea assets in the North Sea. It aligns with the Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) Supply Chain Principles and the objectives of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting.
The Legacy Locker is a unique amalgamation of services. Instead of providing off-the-shelf solutions, it invites clients to present their problems, allowing J+S Subsea to work closely with them to develop tailored solutions. This could involve re-making, recertifying or reusing equipment; joining a shared asset scheme for borrowing or replacing parts; or creating replacements.
This flexibility not only shortens lead times but also cuts costs and risks significantly. This is all the more important when operators have to meet tight deadlines and often with lower budgets and every additional barrel counts. The shared asset scheme enhances supply chain efficiency, enabling operators to access needed components quickly. Where that is not possible, reusing and remanufacturing existing equipment not only extends asset life but also minimises waste, contributing to a more sustainable, circular subsea industry.
Legacy Locker also contributes to the UK’s net-zero ambitions. It has begun to quantify the carbon savings achieved through reuse, a critical component of both J+S Subsea’s and their clients’ ESG reporting. Legacy Locker significantly lowers the carbon footprint associated with subsea operations.
Legacy Locker promotes open and collaborative practices in the traditionally closed sector of offshore oil production and this is recognised by many operators. By extending a field’s productive life, Legacy Locker not only secures jobs in the industry but also keeps them local to the northeast of Scotland – vital in the context of energy security, in light of tensions globally and with a still immature renewable energy industry. But the challenges it addresses are also present in regions with similar water depths and ageing assets. J+S Subsea is already exploring opportunities to deploy the Legacy Locker elsewhere to demonstrate its scalability and global relevance.
In an industry where equipment obsolescence often leads to costly replacements, Legacy Locker offers a sustainable alternative by creatively refurbishing and re-engineering components. This works very well for late-life assets, where it would make little economic or environmental sense to start from scratch. Where feasible, Legacy Locker remanufactures and recertifies parts, bringing them back up to modern standards and safety compliance, in keeping with the objective of a circular economy.
Where reuse in its original form is not possible, Legacy Locker tries to find alternative functions for a component. Re-engineering these parts maximises the value extracted from each component for as long as possible. This is testament to J+S Subsea’s deep industry expertise and commitment to innovation.
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