ABS: Rules for Building and Classing Floating Production Installations

The American Bureau of Shipping has published the Rules for Building and Classing Floating Production Installations.

These Rules were published on 1 July 2023 and entered into force on the same date.

Foreword

These Rules specify the ABS requirements for building and classing Floating Production Installations (FPIs) that should be used by designers, builders, Owners and Operators in the offshore industry.

The requirements contained in these Rules are for design, construction, and survey after construction of the floating installation (including hull structure, equipment, and marine machinery), the position mooring system and the hydrocarbon production facilities.

Floating installations of the ship-type, column-stabilized-type, tension leg platforms and spar installations are included, as well as existing vessels converted to FPIs.

The requirements for optional notations for disconnectable floating installations, dynamic positioning systems, and import/export systems are also provided.

These Rules are to be used in conjunction with other ABS Rules and Guides, as specified herein.

Criteria

The criteria in this document are applicable to Floating Production, Storage and Offloading installations (FPSOs), as defined in Section 3-1-1 of these Rules.

The criteria are also applicable to Floating Production Systems (FPSs), as defined in 3-1-1/3, Floating Storage and Offloading systems (FSOs), as defined in 3-1-1/3, or Floating Offshore Installation (FOI), as defined in 3-1-1/3, with corresponding classification notation, as indicated in Section 1-1-2 of these Rules.

The application of the criteria to systems other than the above will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The criteria are applicable to those features that are permanent and can be verified by plan review, calculation, physical survey or other appropriate means.

Any statement in the Rules and the criteria in this document regarding other features are to be considered as guidance to the designer, builder, Owner, et al.

If you need more information, please visit the ABS Rules and Guides page, where the document is available FOR FREE.