Lloyd’s Register Takes Rules for Offshore Units Step Forward

Lloyd’s Register has launched its new Rules for Offshore Units in one single document following an in-depth consultation with industry. It signals a move by the world’s oldest classification and certification society, to modernise the way in which Rules and their guidance notes are presented to industry – and importantly how they are used by designers and operators of Offshore Units.

“Our aim has been to take Class a step forward by providing an easy to use Rule set for our clients where content is straightforward to read, understand and apply,” said Richard Nott, VP of Operations for Lloyd’s Register’s Compliance Services business.

“The challenge with any Rule set is to convey complex and technical requirements without extensive and unnecessary cross-referencing, ensuring that users are able to concentrate on the work in hand, rather than frequently having to refer to an extensive library of reference documentation. We have made improvements to better support industry in their decision making with a new Rules set that provides complete transparency for the design, construction and lifetime maintenance of offshore units, enabling these assets to be classed efficiently and resulting in improved safety.”

The new Rule set sees the amalgamation of Lloyd’s Register’s Rules for Mobile Offshore Units (MOU) and the Rules for Floating Offshore Installations at a Fixed Location (FOIFL). For the first time, all floating offshore asset types are included in one document.

“In addition to the consolidation of the MOU and FOIFL Rules, we have introduced topics that are new to the Rule set and include new technical content on naval architecture, fire protection, high voltage electrical equipment, cryogenic spill and LNG offloading, among others.”

Lloyd’s Register continuously develops its Rules and guidelines through industry consultation and its annual meeting of the Offshore Technical Committee, which this year took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with representatives from offshore owners, operators, designers and shipyards from around the globe.

“We see this move to simplify and improve our Rules as another good example of the level of service industry expects from a world class safety and risk management provider such as Lloyd’s Register,” claimed Nott.

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Press Release, August 19, 2014