Guardian will assume operatorship as agent of the wells and ultimately the pipelines and platform, leading the project through final decommissioning. Guardian will work closely with current platform operator Talos Energy and Wild Well Control to execute simultaneous well abandonment activities alongside ongoing production operations. The wells phase of the project will be first, followed later by the pipeline and platform scopes when Talos ceases Bullwinkle production.
Beginning in Q4 2026, Guardian will execute well abandonment activities, and later platform removal, jacket reefing, site clearance, and related insurance activities through to completion of the project.
The agreement allows Guardian to apply its extensive offshore decommissioning expertise while enabling Wild Well Control, along with its parent company Superior Energy Services, to focus on its growing well intervention and well control businesses. This strategy by Superior is reinforced by the recent announcement of Superior’s definitive agreement to acquire Welltec International ApS, a global leader in robotic well intervention and proprietary completion technologies.
“This agreement reflects the complementary strengths of our organizations,” said Iain Murray, President of Guardian Decommissioning. “Guardian is built to manage complex offshore decommissioning projects, including multi-well campaigns and large-asset topside removals and jacket reefing. We look forward to delivering a safe and efficient retirement of the Bullwinkle asset while allowing Wild Well Control to continue focusing on its core intervention business.”
“We have collaborated successfully with Guardian on numerous projects and have confidence in their ability to execute this campaign,” said Bryan Ellis, President of Superior Energy Services’ Wellsite Solutions division which includes Wild Well Control and International Snubbing Services. “Together, our organizations provide a powerful combination of intervention, well control, and decommissioning expertise for offshore operators.”
