Uniquely, we invest up to 80% of profits into production of high-calibre peer-reviewed scientific research papers, if clients release us from Non-Disclosure Agreement, NDA, intended to influence marine policy and permit/licence decisions with evidence-based investigations, so clients fund this endeavour indirectly when they contract OSC’s commercial services. Publishing industry data in journals ensures scientific transparency, impresses regulators, and improves clients’ environmental credentials. To the best of our knowledge, unlike any other environmental consultancy worldwide, OSC’s research staff are awarded up to 80% protected research time to write research papers from industry data; we effectively fund our own post docs.

Since 2004, OSC has been conducting decommissioning field studies for a consortium of O&G clients. Research indicates strongly that offshore O&G installations/structures provide reliable feeding habitats for marine mammals, support diverse assemblages of species, and enhance reproduction of fish and invertebrates (e.g. Todd et al., 2009; Todd et al., 2016; Todd et al., 2018; Todd et al., 2020a; Todd et al., 2020b), which suggests that some well-placed offshore drilling rigs and production platforms should be left in situ at the end of their operational lifetimes.

In 2014, OSC undertook the definitive review on dredging and marine mammals on the back of supplying services to Shell for an ongoing project that has lasted over a decade (Todd et al., 2015).