The Minerals Management Service (MMS) Gulf of Mexico OCS region will hold a half-day Structural Assessment Process Dissemination Meeting on the proposed American Petroleum Institute (API) Structural Integrity Management Recommended Practice in Houston on November 15, 2005. The Meeting will take place at The Texas A & M University System Health Science Center, IBT Facilities Auditorium, 2121 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77030-3303 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
In recognition of the need to demonstrate the fitness-for-purpose of existing offshore structures, MMS hosted a workshop in September 2003 on the “Assessment of Existing Offshore Structures.” The workshop acknowledged that Section 17 of API RP 2A provides an important and robust process to determine the fitness-for-purpose of existing platforms, but identified several important areas where greater clarity would be beneficial.
In addition, MMS made it clear that they were not comfortable with certain areas of the recommended practice. A key recommendation from the workshop was for API, through Sub-Committee 2, formally to address the specific concerns of MMS and to consider the benefits of updating Section 17 and developing a stand-alone Recommended Practice (RP) for the Structural Integrity Management (SIM) of Existing Offshore Platforms.
Since the workshop, a task group was established to review the requirements and update RP 2A Section 17. A status of this work was discussed with industry at a workshop held at the MMS New Orleans offices in October 2004. This work is now nearing completion. API is in the process of issuing a Supplement to API RP 2A that will include modifications to Section 17. The new SIM RP is nearly complete in draft form.
The purpose of this meeting is to share the content and status of the API 2A Supplement and the draft SIM RP with structural engineers involved in the assessment process. The objectives are to communicate the introduction of a supplement to API RP 2A, with focus on Modifications to API Section 17, and to discuss the proposed content and status of the stand-alone API Recommended Practice entitled Structural Integrity Management of Existing Offshore Platforms. MMS will provide details and examples for reporting of API Section 17 assessments, specifically ultimate strength assessments, and follow up with a panel discussion and addressing questions from the participants.
To register for the event via email: to Kristina Taylor at ktaylor@mslengineering.com.
For more information and to register online, visit http://www.mslengineering.com/SAPMMSMeeting/Introduction.asp.
Registration details must be confirmed no later than November 11, 2005, by the end of business day. No walk-ins will be permitted.