New integrity management standards for offshore natural gas and oil production

API published three new Integrity Management (IM) standards to ensure the continued reliable and efficient operation of offshore floating production platforms, including facilities designed to produce natural gas and oil, and export liquefied natural gas (LNG).

“We continuously publish and revise standards to make offshore natural gas and oil production a safe, effective, and sustainable resource,” said Debra Phillips, Vice President of Global Industry Services. “An effective Integrity Management program improves the overall effectiveness of an offshore facility by enhancing safety and maximizing returns from the facility.”

The new IM standards are outlined in a series of three recommended practices that address key structures at offshore natural gas and oil facilities:

• Recommended Practice 2MIM, Mooring Integrity Management, addresses the mooring components that secure a facility to the seafloor
• Recommended Practice 2RIM, Integrity Management of Risers from Floating Production Systems, addresses the riser components that connect the facility to the wells on the seafloor
• Recommended Practice 2FSIM, Floating Systems Integrity Management, addresses the many features of a floating facility, which is inclusive of the mooring and riser systems, and enables better overall performance of the facility

These industry standards can assist a company in developing, evaluating, planning, and implementing an IM program for offshore components and floating facilities – facilities that are not attached to the seafloor like conventional natural gas and oil platforms.  Some types of these floating facilities resemble large ships, barges, and tanker vessels.

These floating systems include both natural gas and oil production facilities and LNG terminals, which can load LNG tankers at sea for export abroad.

These new IM standards (RP 2MIM, RP 2RIM, and RP 2FSIM) also offer a company the flexibility of being able to integrate an IM program to the unique circumstances of a facility.  And, the company can employ these new standards to advance safety, health, and environment risk management policies.

These new recommended practices add to API’s suite of existing IM standards, which addresses the critical need of adopting a systems approach when developing and operating offshore facilities.  A systems approach focuses on maximizing performance, safety and environmental protection across a facility’s entire operation, rather than focusing on its individual parts, and aims to ensure a production facility functions reliably and efficiently.

API will be holding a workshop on November 5, 2019 at the University of New Orleans in Louisiana to address how IM standards are intended to apply to regulatory issues.   A second workshop will follow on November 7 at the Lone Star College in Houston, Texas, to address how they are intended to apply to engineering practices.

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