Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Division of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) shared leasing and regula-
tory functions for USDOI until the formation of the Minerals Management
Service (MMS) in 1982. MMS became BOEMRE in 2010. Its regulatory role
includes the handling of permits and applications for wells, platforms, pro-
duction facilities, and pipelines; environmental and safety controls; and
inspections (BOEMRE n.d.).
By the late 1970s, platforms were being installed in waters nearing
1,000 ft in depth in areas subject to seafloor instability, earthquakes, and
ice and in areas for which little information on the local offshore environ-
ment was available. Because of the increasing complexity and perceived
risk in these areas, in 1977 USDOI requested the National Research Coun-
cil to study the need for third-party oversight. The study resulted in the
development and implementation of the certified verification agent (CVA)
program still in use for the design, fabrication, and installation of offshore
oil and gas facilities. The CVA requirements are included in Appendix B
of this report.
CVA oversight is required for the more complex offshore structures
located in deeper water. Assessment of compliance with the rules of a clas-
sification society is not mandatory. Some companies elect to obtain class
certification; others do not. Some insurers offer reduced rates if the vessel
or structure is certified by class.
API design standards are primarily experience-based and prescriptive.
The design levels are well described, usually a 100-year return period load-
ing level with associated factors of safety stated and inherent design parame-
ters specified, such as effective length coefficients, inherent assumption of
space frame load redistribution, and normal minimum steel yield to actual
yield ratios. The prescriptive methodologies developed over the past six
decades have proved to be robust and flexible in that they have been
adjusted as experience has been gained and the knowledge base has evolved.
Maritime Industry
The maritime industry covers ocean-based shipping, including interna-
tional shipping. High-level regulation of international shipping is carried
out by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), an agency of the
United Nations specifically dedicated to maritime affairs. The two princi-
pal IMO conventions, Safety of Life at Sea and MARPOL and MARPOL
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