Maritime integrity

The maritime integrity topic applies to all floating installations, including jack-up drilling units.The maritime hazards are:

• loss of stability, arising from collision or uncontrolled flooding
• loss of position, arising from some failure within the mooring system or dynamic positioning (DP) system.

Present topic areas of attention include:

• assurance of the integrity of mooring systems for production installations
• management of offloading operations to shuttle tanker, including inert gas and hydrocarbon blanket gas systems
• suitable inspection and repair programs to ensure continued watertight integrity
• arrangements to ensure the provision of competent, experienced personnel, both offshore and onshore
• supervision and control of DP operations of the installation, and of vessels in close attendance, including gangway management
• control and management of work activities inside ballast and cargo tanks.

Our topic strategy describes our work in this area.

• Assessment of the adequacy of the venting arrangements for cargo oil tanks on FPSO and FSU installations (Safety Notice OSD 5-2010)

This safety notice highlights the need to ensure suitable and sufficient assessment of the adequacy of venting arrangements for cargo oil tanks on FPSO and FSU installations.

• The safe approach, set-up and departure of jack-up rigs to fixed installations
  Advises dutyholders and HSE inspectors of the matters to be considered and precautions to be taken when approaching to, setting-up and departing from a fixed installation using a jack-up rig.
• Flooding risk to machinery spaces of floating offshore installations: Guidelines on inspection of ship side valves; flood detection and control; inspection and training (Offshore Information Sheet 4/2011)
  
  This sheet gives guidance on what is required by the duty holder to demonstrate that:
  • The ship side valves are suitable, suitably maintained and in good repair.
  • They have arrangements that deal with flooding incidents.
    
    This information sheet replaces information sheet 8/2007 which is now withdrawn.

• Floating production storage and offloading (FPSO)
  Mooring inspection (Safety Notice 3/2005) For operators of monohull weather vaning FPSO's and FSU's. It explains why they need to ensure that the top sections of their mooring chains are not subject to excessive wear that can affect the integrity of the mooring system.