(a) You must design, fabricate, install, use, maintain, inspect, and assess all platforms and related structures on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) so as to ensure their structural integrity for the safe conduct of drilling, workover, and production operations. In doing this, you must consider the specific environmental conditions at the platform location.

(b) You must also submit an application under § 250.905 of this subpart and obtain the approval of the Regional Supervisor before performing any of the activities described in the following table:

(c) Under emergency conditions, you may make repairs to primary structural elements to restore an existing permitted condition without submitting an application or receiving prior BSEE approval for up to 120-calendar days following an event. You must notify the Regional Supervisor of the damage that occurred within 24 hours of its discovery, and you must provide a written completion report to the Regional Supervisor of the repairs that were made within 1 week after completing the repairs. If you make emergency repairs on a floating platform, you must also notify the USCG.

(d) You must determine if your new platform or major modification to an existing platform is subject to the Platform Verification Program (PVP). Section 250.910 of this subpart fully describes the facilities that are subject to the PVP. If you determine that your platform is subject to the PVP, you must follow the requirements of §§ 250.909 through 250.918 of this subpart.

(e) You must submit notification of the platform installation date and the final as-built location data to the Regional Supervisor within 45-calendar days of completion of platform installation.

(1) For platforms not subject to the Platform Verification Program (PVP), BSEE will cancel the approved platform application 1 year after the approval has been granted if the platform has not been installed. If BSEE cancels the approval, you must resubmit your platform application and receive BSEE approval if you still plan to install the platform.

(2) For platforms subject to the PVP, cancellation of an approval will be on an individual platform basis. For these platforms, BSEE will identify the date when the installation approval will be cancelled (if installation has not occurred) during the application and approval process. If BSEE cancels your installation approval, you must resubmit your platform application and receive BSEE approval if you still plan to install the platform.

(a) In addition to the other requirements of this subpart, your plans for platform design, analysis, fabrication, installation, use, maintenance, inspection and assessment must, as appropriate, conform to:

(1) ACI Standard 318-95, Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete (ACI 318-95) and Commentary (ACI 318R-95) (incorporated by reference at § 250.198);

(2) ACI 357R-84, Guide for the Design and Construction of Fixed Offshore Concrete Structures, 1984; reapproved 1997 (incorporated by reference at § 250.198);

(3) ANSI/AISC 360-05, Specification for Structural Steel Buildings, (as specified in § 250.198);

(4) American Petroleum Institute (API) Bulletin 2INT-DG, Interim Guidance for Design of Offshore Structures for Hurricane Conditions, (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(5) API Bulletin 2INT-EX, Interim Guidance for Assessment of Existing Offshore Structures for Hurricane Conditions, (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(6) API Bulletin 2INT-MET, Interim Guidance on Hurricane Conditions in the Gulf of Mexico, (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(7) API Recommend Practice (RP) 2A-WSD, RP for Planning, Designing, and Constructing Fixed Offshore Platforms—Working Stress Design (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(8) API RP 2FPS, Recommended Practice for Planning, Designing, and Constructing Floating Production Systems, (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(9) API RP 2I, In-Service Inspection of Mooring Hardware for Floating Drilling Units (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(10) API RP 2RD, Design of Risers for Floating Production Systems (FPSs) and Tension-Leg Platforms (TLPs), (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(11) API RP 2SK, Recommended Practice for Design and Analysis of Station Keeping Systems for Floating Structures, (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(12) API RP 2SM, Recommended Practice for Design, Manufacture, Installation, and Maintenance of Synthetic Fiber Ropes for Offshore Mooring, (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(13) API RP 2T, Recommended Practice for Planning, Designing and Constructing Tension Leg Platforms, (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(14) API RP 14J, Recommended Practice for Design and Hazards Analysis for Offshore Production Facilities, (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(15) American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard C 33-07, approved December 15, 2007, Standard Specification for Concrete Aggregates (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(16) ASTM Standard C 94/C 94M-07, approved January 1, 2007, Standard Specification for Ready-Mixed Concrete (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(17) ASTM Standard C 150-07, approved May 1, 2007, Standard Specification for Portland Cement (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(18) ASTM Standard C 330-05, approved December 15, 2005, Standard Specification for Lightweight Aggregates for Structural Concrete (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(19) ASTM Standard C 595-08, approved January 1, 2008, Standard Specification for Blended Hydraulic Cements (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(20) AWS D1.1, Structural Welding Code—Steel, including Commentary, (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(21) AWS D1.4, Structural Welding Code—Reinforcing Steel, (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(22) AWS D3.6M, Specification for Underwater Welding, (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(23) NACE Standard MR0175, Sulfide Stress Cracking Resistant Metallic Materials for Oilfield Equipment, (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198);

(24) NACE Standard RP0176-2003, Item No. 21018, Standard Recommended Practice, Corrosion Control of Steel Fixed Offshore Structures Associated with Petroleum Production (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198).

(b) You must follow the requirements contained in the documents listed under paragraph (a) of this section insofar as they do not conflict with other provisions of 30 CFR part 250. You may use applicable provisions of these documents, as approved by the Regional Supervisor, for the design, fabrication, and installation of platforms such as spars, since standards specifically written for such structures do not exist. You may also use alternative codes, rules, or standards, as approved by the Regional Supervisor, under the conditions enumerated in § 250.141.

(c) For information on the standards mentioned in this section, and where they may be obtained, see § 250.198 of this part.

(d) The following chart summarizes the applicability of the industry standards listed in this section for fixed and floating platforms:

You must remove all structures according to §§ 250.1725 through 250.1730 of Subpart Q—Decommissioning Activities of this part.

(a) You must compile, retain, and make available to BSEE representatives for the functional life of all platforms:

(1) The as-built drawings;

(2) The design assumptions and analyses;

(3) A summary of the fabrication and installation nondestructive examination records;

(4) The inspection results from the inspections required by § 250.919 of this subpart; and

(5) Records of repairs not covered in the inspection report submitted under § 250.919(b).

(b) You must record and retain the original material test results of all primary structural materials during all stages of construction. Primary material is material that, should it fail, would lead to a significant reduction in platform safety, structural reliability, or operating capabilities. Items such as steel brackets, deck stiffeners and secondary braces or beams would not generally be considered primary structural members (or materials).

(c) You must provide BSEE with the location of these records in the certification statement of your application for platform approval as required in § 250.905(j).

(a) The Platform Approval Program is the BSEE basic approval process for platforms on the OCS. The requirements of the Platform Approval Program are described in §§ 250.904 through 250.908 of this subpart. Completing these requirements will satisfy BSEE criteria for approval of fixed platforms of a proven design that will be placed in the shallow water areas (≤400 ft.) of the Gulf of Mexico OCS.

(b) The requirements of the Platform Approval Program must be met by all platforms on the OCS. Additionally, if you want approval for a floating platform; a platform of unique design; or a platform being installed in deepwater (> 400 ft.) or a frontier area, you must also meet the requirements of the Platform Verification Program. The requirements of the Platform Verification Program are described in §§ 250.909 through 250.918 of this subpart.

The Platform Approval Program requires that you submit the information, documents, and fee listed in the following table for your proposed project. In lieu of submitting the paper copies specified in the table, you may submit your application electronically in accordance with 30 CFR 250.186(a)(3).

(a) Shallow hazards surveys. You must perform a high-resolution or acoustic-profiling survey to obtain information on the conditions existing at and near the surface of the seafloor. You must collect information through this survey sufficient to determine the presence of the following features and their likely effects on your proposed platform:

(1) Shallow faults;

(2) Gas seeps or shallow gas;

(3) Slump blocks or slump sediments;

(4) Shallow water flows;

(5) Hydrates; or

(6) Ice scour of seafloor sediments.

(b) Geologic surveys. You must perform a geological survey relevant to the design and siting of your platform. Your geological survey must assess:

(1) Seismic activity at your proposed site;

(2) Fault zones, the extent and geometry of faulting, and attenuation effects of geologic conditions near your site; and

(3) For platforms located in producing areas, the possibility and effects of seafloor subsidence.

(c) Subsurface surveys. Depending upon the design and location of your proposed platform and the results of the shallow hazard and geologic surveys, the Regional Supervisor may require you to perform a subsurface survey. This survey will include a testing program for investigating the stratigraphic and engineering properties of the soil that may affect the foundations or anchoring systems for your facility. The testing program must include adequate in situ testing, boring, and sampling to examine all important soil and rock strata to determine its strength classification, deformation properties, and dynamic characteristics. If required to perform a subsurface survey, you must prepare and submit to the Regional Supervisor a summary report to briefly describe the results of your soil testing program, the various field and laboratory test methods employed, and the applicability of these methods as they pertain to the quality of the samples, the type of soil, and the anticipated design application. You must explain how the engineering properties of each soil stratum affect the design of your platform. In your explanation you must describe the uncertainties inherent in your overall testing program, and the reliability and applicability of each test method.

(d) Overall site investigation report. You must prepare and submit to the Regional Supervisor an overall site investigation report for your platform that integrates the findings of your shallow hazards surveys and geologic surveys, and, if required, your subsurface surveys. Your overall site investigation report must include analyses of the potential for:

(1) Scouring of the seafloor;

(2) Hydraulic instability;

(3) The occurrence of sand waves;

(4) Instability of slopes at the platform location;

(5) Liquefaction, or possible reduction of soil strength due to increased pore pressures;

(6) Degradation of subsea permafrost layers;

(7) Cyclic loading;

(8) Lateral loading;

(9) Dynamic loading;

(10) Settlements and displacements;

(11) Plastic deformation and formation collapse mechanisms; and

(12) Soil reactions on the platform foundations or anchoring systems.

(a) For fixed or bottom-founded platforms and tension leg platforms, your maximum distance from any foundation pile to a soil boring must not exceed 500 feet.

(b) For deepwater floating platforms which utilize catenary or taut-leg moorings, you must take borings at the most heavily loaded anchor location, at the anchor points approximately 120 and 240 degrees around the anchor pattern from that boring, and, as necessary, other points throughout the anchor pattern to establish the soil profile suitable for foundation design purposes.

(a) API RP 2A-WSD, Recommended Practice for Planning, Designing and Constructing Fixed Offshore Platforms (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198), requires that the design fatigue life of each joint and member be twice the intended service life of the structure. When designing your platform, the following table provides minimum fatigue life safety factors for critical structural members and joints.

(b) The documents incorporated by reference in § 250.901 may require larger safety factors than indicated in paragraph (a) of this section for some key components. When the documents incorporated by reference require a larger safety factor than the chart in paragraph (a) of this section, the requirements of the incorporated document will prevail.

The Platform Verification Program is the BSEE approval process for ensuring that floating platforms; platforms of a new or unique design; platforms in seismic areas; or platforms located in deepwater or frontier areas meet stringent requirements for design and construction. The program is applied during construction of new platforms and major modifications of, or repairs to, existing platforms. These requirements are in addition to the requirements of the Platform Approval Program described in §§ 250.904 through 250.908 of this subpart.

(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:

(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.

If your platform, conversion, or major modification or repair meets the criteria in § 250.910, you must:

(a) Design, fabricate, install, use, maintain and inspect your platform, conversion, or major modification or repair to your platform according to the requirements of this subpart, and the applicable documents listed in § 250.901(a) of this subpart;

(b) Comply with all the requirements of the Platform Approval Program found in §§ 250.904 through 250.908 of this subpart.

(c) Submit for the Regional Supervisor's approval three copies each of the design verification, fabrication verification, and installation verification plans required by § 250.912;

(d) Submit a complete schedule of all phases of design, fabrication, and installation for the Regional Supervisor's approval. You must include a project management timeline, Gantt Chart, that depicts when interim and final reports required by §§ 250.916, 250.917, and 250.918 will be submitted to the Regional Supervisor for each phase. On the timeline, you must break-out the specific scopes of work that inherently stand alone (e.g., deck, mooring systems, tendon systems, riser systems, turret systems).

(e) Include your nomination of a Certified Verification Agent (CVA) as a part of each verification plan required by § 250.912;

(f) Follow the additional requirements in §§ 250.913 through 250.918;

(g) Obtain approval for modifications to approved plans and for major deviations from approved installation procedures from the Regional Supervisor; and

(h) Comply with applicable USCG regulations for floating OCS facilities.

If your platform, associated structure, or major modification meets the criteria in § 250.910, you must submit the following plans to the Regional Supervisor for approval:

(a) Design verification plan. You may submit your design verification plan to BSEE with or subsequent to the submittal of your Development and Production Plan (DPP) or Development Operations Coordination Document (DOCD) to BOEM. Your design verification must be conducted by, or be under the direct supervision of, a registered professional civil or structural engineer or equivalent, or a naval architect or marine engineer or equivalent, with previous experience in directing the design of similar facilities, systems, structures, or equipment. For floating platforms, you must ensure that the requirements of the USCG for structural integrity and stability, e.g., verification of center of gravity, etc., have been met. Your design verification plan must include the following:

(1) All design documentation specified in § 250.905 of this subpart;

(2) Abstracts of the computer programs used in the design process; and

(3) A summary of the major design considerations and the approach to be used to verify the validity of these design considerations.

(b) Fabrication verification plan. The Regional Supervisor must approve your fabrication verification plan before you may initiate any related operations. Your fabrication verification plan must include the following:

(1) Fabrication drawings and material specifications for artificial island structures and major members of concrete-gravity and steel-gravity structures;

(2) For jacket and floating structures, all the primary load-bearing members included in the space-frame analysis; and

(3) A summary description of the following:

(i) Structural tolerances;

(ii) Welding procedures;

(iii) Material (concrete, gravel, or silt) placement methods;

(iv) Fabrication standards;

(v) Material quality-control procedures;

(vi) Methods and extent of nondestructive examinations for welds and materials; and

(vii) Quality assurance procedures.

(c) Installation verification plan. The Regional Supervisor must approve your installation verification plan before you may initiate any related operations. Your installation verification plan must include:

(1) A summary description of the planned marine operations;

(2) Contingencies considered;

(3) Alternative courses of action; and

(4) An identification of the areas to be inspected. You must specify the acceptance and rejection criteria to be used for any inspections conducted during installation, and for the post-installation verification inspection.

(d) You must combine fabrication verification and installation verification plans for manmade islands or platforms fabricated and installed in place.

(a) You must resubmit any design verification, fabrication verification, or installation verification plan to the Regional Supervisor for approval if:

(1) The CVA changes;

(2) The CVA's or assigned personnel's qualifications change; or

(3) The level of work to be performed changes.

(b) If only part of a verification plan is affected by one of the changes described in paragraph (a) of this section, you can resubmit only the affected part. You do not have to resubmit the summary of technical details unless you make changes in the technical details.

(a) As part of your design verification, fabrication verification, or installation verification plan, you must nominate a CVA for the Regional Supervisor's approval. You must specify whether the nomination is for the design, fabrication, or installation phase of verification, or for any combination of these phases.

(b) For each CVA, you must submit a list of documents to be forwarded to the CVA, and a qualification statement that includes the following:

(1) Previous experience in third-party verification or experience in the design, fabrication, installation, or major modification of offshore oil and gas platforms. This should include fixed platforms, floating platforms, manmade islands, other similar marine structures, and related systems and equipment;

(2) Technical capabilities of the individual or the primary staff for the specific project;

(3) Size and type of organization or corporation;

(4) In-house availability of, or access to, appropriate technology. This should include computer programs, hardware, and testing materials and equipment;

(5) Ability to perform the CVA functions for the specific project considering current commitments;

(6) Previous experience with BSEE requirements and procedures;

(7) The level of work to be performed by the CVA.

(a) The CVA must conduct specified reviews according to §§ 250.916, 250.917, and 250.918 of this subpart.

(b) Individuals or organizations acting as CVAs must not function in any capacity that would create a conflict of interest, or the appearance of a conflict of interest.

(c) The CVA must consider the applicable provisions of the documents listed in § 250.901(a); the alternative codes, rules, and standards approved under § 250.901(b); and the requirements of this subpart.

(d) The CVA is the primary contact with the Regional Supervisor and is directly responsible for providing immediate reports of all incidents that affect the design, fabrication and installation of the platform.

(a) The CVA must use good engineering judgment and practices in conducting an independent assessment of the design of the platform, major modification, or repair. The CVA must ensure that the platform, major modification, or repair is designed to withstand the environmental and functional load conditions appropriate for the intended service life at the proposed location.

(b) Primary duties of the CVA during the design phase include the following:

(c) The CVA must submit interim reports and a final report to the Regional Supervisor, and to you, during the design phase in accordance with the approved schedule required by § 250.911(d). In each interim and final report the CVA must:

(1) Provide a summary of the material reviewed and the CVA's findings;

(2) In the final CVA report, make a recommendation that the Regional Supervisor either accept, request modifications, or reject the proposed design unless such a recommendation has been previously made in an interim report;

(3) Describe the particulars of how, by whom, and when the independent review was conducted; and

(4) Provide any additional comments the CVA deems necessary.

(a) The CVA must use good engineering judgment and practices in conducting an independent assessment of the fabrication activities. The CVA must monitor the fabrication of the platform or major modification to ensure that it has been built according to the approved design and the fabrication plan. If the CVA finds that fabrication procedures are changed or design specifications are modified, the CVA must inform you. If you accept the modifications, then the CVA must so inform the Regional Supervisor.

(b) Primary duties of the CVA during the fabrication phase include the following:

(c) The CVA must submit interim reports and a final report to the Regional Supervisor, and to you, during the fabrication phase in accordance with the approved schedule required by § 250.911(d). In each interim and final report the CVA must:

(1) Give details of how, by whom, and when the independent monitoring activities were conducted;

(2) Describe the CVA's activities during the verification process;

(3) Summarize the CVA's findings;

(4) Confirm or deny compliance with the design specifications and the approved fabrication plan;

(5) In the final CVA report, make a recommendation to accept or reject the fabrication unless such a recommendation has been previously made in an interim report; and

(6) Provide any additional comments that the CVA deems necessary.

(a) The CVA must use good engineering judgment and practice in conducting an independent assessment of the installation activities.

(b) Primary duties of the CVA during the installation phase include the following:

(c) The CVA must submit interim reports and a final report to the Regional Supervisor, and to you, during the installation phase in accordance with the approved schedule required by § 250.911(d). In each interim and final report the CVA must:

(1) Give details of how, by whom, and when the independent monitoring activities were conducted;

(2) Describe the CVA's activities during the verification process;

(3) Summarize the CVA's findings;

(4) Confirm or deny compliance with the approved installation plan;

(5) In the final report, make a recommendation to accept or reject the installation unless such a recommendation has been previously made in an interim report; and

(6) Provide any additional comments that the CVA deems necessary.

(a) You must submit a comprehensive in-service inspection report annually by November 1 to the Regional Supervisor that must include:

(1) A list of fixed and floating platforms you inspected in the preceding 12 months;

(2) The extent and area of inspection for both the above-water and underwater portions of the platform and the pertinent components of the mooring system for floating platforms;

(3) The type of inspection employed (e.g., visual, magnetic particle, ultrasonic testing);

(4) The overall structural condition of each platform, including a corrosion protection evaluation; and

(5) A summary of the inspection results indicating what repairs, if any, were needed.

(b) If any of your structures have been exposed to a natural occurrence (e.g., hurricane, earthquake, or tropical storm), the Regional Supervisor may require you to submit an initial report of all structural damage, followed by subsequent updates, which include the following:

(1) A list of affected structures;

(2) A timetable for conducting the inspections described in section 14.4.3 of API RP 2A-WSD (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198); and

(3) An inspection plan for each structure that describes the work you will perform to determine the condition of the structure.

(c) The Regional Supervisor may also require you to submit the results of the inspections referred to in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, including a description of any detected damage that may adversely affect structural integrity, an assessment of the structure's ability to withstand any anticipated environmental conditions, and any remediation plans. Under §§ 250.900(b)(3) and 250.905, you must obtain approval from BSEE before you make major repairs of any damage unless you meet the requirements of § 250.900(c).

(a) You must document all wells, equipment, and pipelines supported by the platform if you intend to use either the A-2 or A-3 assessment category. Assessment categories are defined in API RP 2A-WSD, Section 17.3 (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198). If BSEE objects to the assessment category you used for your assessment, you may need to redesign and/or modify the platform to adequately demonstrate that the platform is able to withstand the environmental loadings for the appropriate assessment category.

(b) You must perform an analysis check when your platform will have additional personnel, additional topside facilities, increased environmental or operational loading, inadequate deck height, or suffered significant damage (e.g., experienced damage to primary structural members or conductor guide trays or global structural integrity is adversely affected); or the exposure category changes to a more restrictive level (see Sections 17.2.1 through 17.2.5 of API RP 2A-WSD, incorporated by reference in § 250.198, for a description of assessment initiators).

(c) You must initiate mitigation actions for platforms that do not pass the assessment process of API RP 2A-WSD. You must submit applications for your mitigation actions (e.g., repair, modification, decommissioning) to the Regional Supervisor for approval before you conduct the work.

(d) The BSEE may require you to conduct a platform design basis check when the reduced environmental loading criteria contained in API RP 2A-WSD Section 17.6 are not applicable.

(e) By November 1, 2009, you must submit a complete list of all the platforms you operate, together with all the appropriate data to support the assessment category you assign to each platform and the platform assessment initiators (as defined in API RP 2A-WSD) to the Regional Supervisor. You must submit subsequent complete lists and the appropriate data to support the consequence-of-failure category every 5 years thereafter, or as directed by the Regional Supervisor.

(f) The use of Section 17, Assessment of Existing Platforms, of API RP 2A-WSD is limited to existing fixed structures that are serving their original approved purpose. You must obtain approval from the Regional Supervisor for any change in purpose of the platform, following the provisions of API RP 2A-WSD, Section 15, Re-use.

(a) If you are required to analyze cumulative fatigue on your platform because of the results of an inspection or platform assessment, you must ensure that the safety factors for critical elements listed in § 250.908 are met or exceeded.

(b) If the calculated life of a joint or member does not meet the criteria of § 250.908, you must either mitigate the load, strengthen the joint or member, or develop an increased inspection process.