The American Petroleum Institute (API) published three new integrity management (IM) standards for operating offshore floating production platforms, including facilities designed to produce natural gas and oil, and export liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The new standards are outlined in a series of three recommended practices that address key structures at offshore natural gas and oil facilities.

Recommended Practice 2MIM, Mooring Integrity Management, addresses the mooring components that secure a facility to the seafloor; Recommended Practice 2RIM, Integrity Management of Risers from Floating Production Systems, addresses the riser components that connect the facility to the wells on the seafloor; and Recommended Practice 2FSIM, Floating Systems Integrity Management, addresses the many features of a floating facility, which is inclusive of the mooring and riser systems, and enables better overall performance of the facility.

“We continuously publish and revise standards to make offshore natural gas and oil production a safe, effective, and sustainable resource,” said Debra Phillips, Vice President of Global Industry Services. “An effective Integrity Management program improves the overall effectiveness of an offshore facility by enhancing safety and maximizing returns from the facility.”

API said it will hold a workshop on November 5 in New Orleans to address how IM standards are intended to apply to regulatory issues. A second workshop will follow on November 7 in Houston to address how they are intended to apply to engineering practices.