Offshore staff
HØVIK, Norway – DNV GL has launched a joint industry project (JIP) to standardize subsea documentation.
A typical subsea project can involve more than 10,000 documents (with up to 80,000 in a complex project) over a life cycle of 30 years. To develop, maintain, and verify the quality, security, accuracy, and availability of documentation, operators, contractors, and suppliers will often spend millions of dollars on document management, technical review, and information management systems.
The lack of standardization can lead to misunderstandings; a reduction in quality; and difficulty in handling approvals, distribution, and availability – which, in turn, increases project lead times and costs. Standardization would reduce the need to define and review technical documents, said DNV GL.
“The aim of this broad industry collaboration initiated by DNV GL and theNorwegian Oil and Gas Association is to develop a standardized set of subsea-system documents for designing, approving, manufacturing, verifying, operating, and maintaining equipment,” explained Jarl S. Magnusson, the JIP project manager for DNV GL Oil & Gas.
The outcome will be a DNV GL Recommended Practice (RP) aimed at establishing industry guidelines and recommendations required to document typical subsea products and systems, with an associated minimum set of documentation. Initially, the RP will provide a method for industry variations and options for add-on documentation. It will be linked to current sources of industry standards and practices. At a later stage, the RP may be included in industry guidelines, such as NORSOK, and/or as an amendment to relevant ISO standards.
05/21/2014
