(a) All new fixed or bottom-founded platforms that meet any of the following five conditions are subject to the Platform Verification Program:
(1) Platforms installed in water depths exceeding 400 feet (122 meters);
(2) Platforms having natural periods in excess of 3 seconds;
(3) Platforms installed in areas of unstable bottom conditions;
(4) Platforms having configurations and designs which have not previously been used or proven for use in the area; or
(5) Platforms installed in seismically active areas.
(b) All new floating platforms are subject to the Platform Verification Program to the extent indicated in the following table:
| If . . . | Then . . . |
|---|---|
| (1) Your new floating platform is a buoyant offshore facility that does not have a ship-shaped hull, | The entire platform is subject to the Platform Verification Program including the following associated structures: |
| (i) Drilling, production, and pipeline risers, and riser tensioning systems (each platform must be designed to accommodate all the loads imposed by all risers and riser does not have tensioning systems); (ii) Turrets and turret-and-hull interfaces; (iii) Foundations, foundation pilings and templates, and anchoring systems; and (iv) Mooring or tethering systems. |
|
| (2) Your new floating platform is a buoyant offshore facility with a ship-shaped hull, | Only the following structures that may be associated with a floating platform are subject to the Platform Verification Program: |
| (i) Drilling, production, and pipeline risers, and riser tensioning systems (each platform must be designed to accommodate all the loads imposed by all risers and riser tensioning systems); (ii) Turrets and turret-and-hull interfaces; (iii) Foundations, foundation pilings and templates, and anchoring systems; and (iv) Mooring or tethering systems. |
(c) If a platform is originally subject to the Platform Verification Program, then the conversion of that platform at that same site for a new purpose, or making a major modification of, or major repair to, that platform, is also subject to the Platform Verification Program. A major modification includes any modification that increases loading on a platform by 10 percent or more. A major repair is a corrective operation involving structural members affecting the structural integrity of a portion or all of the platform. Before you make a major modification or repair to a floating platform, you must obtain approval from both the BSEE and the USCG.
(d) The applicability of Platform Verification Program requirements to other types of facilities will be determined by BSEE on a case-by-case basis.
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