Sable Offshore Seek Federal Oversight To Restart Santa Ynez Pipeline
Late November 2025 saw Sable Offshore Corp ramp up efforts to restart an offshore crude pipeline serving Santa Ynez Unit off Santa Barbara County. Sable Offshore Corp contacted United States Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration with their plan, seeking that agency's oversight of Las Flores Pipeline System as an interstate pipeline facility under federal Pipeline Safety Act regulations. Sable also planned to restore pipeline connections between offshore platforms of Santa Ynez Unit production off Santa Barbara County to Pentland Station terminal in Kern County as an export outlet for central California production.
Las Flores Line and associated facilities have been idle since a 2015 rupture near Refugio Beach released approximately 100000 gallons of crude oil that entered the Pacific Ocean, polluting shorelines and wildlife habitat. In 2022, Sable acquired platforms, pipelines and onshore processing assets from Exxon Mobil Corporation under an agreement and resumed limited production from one platform in May 2025; sending output directly into storage tanks at Las Flores Canyon while waiting for permission to resume transport via its onshore system. State regulators, including California Office of State Fire Marshal have denied permission for Refugio's recommissioning until all required safety upgrades and evidence of no Refugio-like spill occur again. In October 2025, they said this procedure may only begin once all mandated upgrades had been installed and it could operate safely without repeating previous incidents like Refugio.
As California regulatory restrictions increase, Sable Energy has implemented a dual offtake strategy combining an onshore pipeline project with the potential of an offshore storage and treating vessel operating out of federal waters. Under this optional configuration, crude would move from offshore platforms to a floating unit, where it would then be lifted by shuttle tankers for sale to domestic and international markets, thus decreasing state jurisdictional infrastructure needs. Sable stressed in its November filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that there was no assurance they would obtain either approval for restarting Las Flores Pipeline System, or federal clearances required for an offshore storage and treating vessel concept. In addition, Sable disclosed it had extended a 350 million bonding obligation to Exxon covering future plugging and abandonment liabilities associated with Santa Ynez Unit pluggings/abandonment liabilities.
Local Authorities Take Step to Prevent Transfer of Onshore Pipeline Permits
Regulator pressure against Sable's Santa Ynez pipeline was increased early November when the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors took a preliminary vote against Exxon Mobil transferring key onshore pipeline permits to Sable. Supervisors voted four to one against this transfer for portions of Exxon's onshore system involved in the 2015 spill; written findings supporting denial are due mid December; thus leaving permitting statuses uncertain and any near term restart unlikely for legs involved in 2015 incident.
Environmental groups such as the Center for Biological Diversity and Wishtoyo Foundation argued before the board that Sable has an extensive record of noncompliance, yet has failed to post performance bonds that would guarantee funding for eventual decommissioning of their facilities. County staff pointed to unpermitted construction and repair work along the Gaviota Coast for which California Coastal Commission issued an 18 million dollar administrative fine in April 2025, as well as ongoing criminal proceedings brought by Santa Barbara County District Attorney over environmental violations. Exxon Mobil Corporation remains in possession of county permits as the current holder, so Exxon has pledged legal recourses to secure their transfers and recover any damages they believe the actions by Santa Barbara County cause.
These local decisions supplement earlier enforcement moves by state agencies. In October 2025, California Office of the State Fire Marshal issued an order prohibiting Sable from restarting their pipeline until proof of safety could be presented, and a California Superior Court found them responsible for engaging in extensive excavation and repair activities without being properly licensed by authorities. California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed suit against Sable for violations of state water law during repairs meant to meet an earlier deadline to restart portions of its crude pipeline network. These actions demonstrate the increasing regulatory risks for offshore linked pipeline infrastructure on the US West Coast as operators strive to extend production lives for legacy fields.
Aramis CO2 Offshore Pipeline Tender Launched in North Sea
While California operators grapple with regulatory inertia, offshore pipeline development progressed rapidly during November 2025 in the North Sea thanks to an international tendering process for the Aramis carbon capture and storage project. On 7 November, project sponsors announced they had initiated an EU level tender procedure for engineering, procurement, construction and installation of an offshore carbon transport pipeline system to transport captured CO2 from industrial sites to storage locations within the Dutch sector of the North Sea. This milestone marks a transition from concept and front end engineering design into competitive contracting for final investment decisions on large scale carbon infrastructure transport projects.
Aramis is supported by a consortium comprised of Energie Beheer Nederland, TotalEnergies, Shell and Gasunie working alongside the Dutch government to establish an open access CO2 transport network. The offshore pipeline will connect an onshore collection hub on the Dutch coast to depleted gas fields offshore, where CO2 will be injected for geological storage purposes. As per the project, tendering follows completion of preliminary engineering studies and engagement with potential industrial shippers, and is structured according to European Union procurement rules in order to promote transparency and competition among marine contractors. Tender is expected to cover supply and installation of line pipe, subsea tie in systems and associated compression/metering facilities needed to handle dense phase CO2 flows in an offshore environment.
For maritime and offshore construction sectors, the Aramis tender expands an emerging market for CO2 pipeline installation alongside traditional oil and gas work. Offshore contractors with expertise in North Sea trunkline projects should bid for this work, which could involve using specialized lay vessels, heavy lift ships and subsea support fleets for installation and commissioning. Aramis also illustrates a wider trend, in which coastal states and energy majors leverage existing offshore expertise and seabed corridors to enable decarbonization infrastructure, potentially streamlining permitting processes compared with new hydrocarbon pipelines. Unfortunately, construction contracts for Aramis still depend upon final regulatory clearances, commercial agreements with CO2 shippers, and alignment with wider European climate policy before construction contracts can be awarded.