Petrochem/Utilities Industry Trends

Deepwater Standards Initiative Streamlining the Development and Approval Process

Issue Table of Contents

Heading into Deeper Waters - New Technologies Make Deepwater Exploration and Production Possible Deepwater Standards Initiative Streamlining the Development and Approval Process Q&A with API's Coordinator of Drilling and Production Operations on Increased Deepwater Production Through Acceleration of Standards and Technologies API and Global Engineering Documents - Better Together

The process of standards writing, development and approval remains long and arduous in most industries. In some cases, the time required for a standard to be published has gone from a few months to two years or more - especially when it affects diverse organizations and industries. Areas like the advancement of deepwater offshore petroleum and natural gas operations can't afford long technological delays. In order to remain competitive in this global marketplace they need to be able to move forward quickly.

In an effort to accelerate and streamline the standards development and approval processes, the American Petroleum Institute (API), the Minerals Management Service (MMS), the U.S. Coast Guard and other industry organizations have agreed to band together and commit the resources needed to fast-track these vital standards. Coined the Deepwater Standards Initiative, this plan has already exceeded initial expectations. "Already we've published nine of the initial 16 standards we agreed needed to be accelerated," commented Tim Sampson, API's Coordinator of Drilling and Production Operations. "In just over a year, standards that typically take several years to complete are out there being used today."

Deepwater offshore companies are also highly regulated. In order to develop a deepwater field on the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), operators must obtain numerous federal permits and comply with many sets of federal and state regulations. The U.S. Department of the Interior's MMS and the U.S. Coast Guard are the two primary agencies that regulate deepwater offshore oil and gas operations. They initiate research proposals and recommend regulations regarding safety of operations, conservation of oil and gas resources, oil spill research and protection of the marine environment.

There is a need for standardization. There is also a need to reduce the time involved in the standardization process. Innovative programs such as the Deepwater Standards Initiative have been able to streamline and accelerate the process and provide the technology needed by the industry to forge ahead. In addition, many of these "deepwater" standards are being incorporated into regulatory requirements - saving the public the costs of developing separate Government standards.