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Good Advice Speeds Regulatory Approval
ABS helped ExxonMobil navigate the regulatory maze and minimize design changes.
HOOVER/DIANA platform
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| ABS gave ExxonMobil another set of eyes during planning and kept design revisions during the approval process to a minimum.
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ach year at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), an individual and an organization |
or company are honored for outstanding work and/or service to the industry. Our congratulations to ExxonMobil for receiving this year’s Distinguished Achievement Award for Companies, Organizations, and Institutions for its Hoover/Diana Project.
ABS is proud to be associated with this world-class project as the classification society of record for the Hoover/Diana. Learn more about ABS’ role in securing regulatory approvals and adding value to the design review process in this first simultaneous co-development of multiple deepwater fields utilizing significant advances in drilling, subsea, and riser technologies.
In today’s regulatory environment, getting approval of plans by the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) and the U.S. Coast Guard for a project of the scope of the Hoover/Diana project can be a challenging task. That is why ExxonMobil engaged ABS as its classification society over a three-year period, from the preliminary planning stages to the issuance of an ABS class certificate. This was the first ABS classification of an ExxonMobil production structure in the Gulf of Mexico, and the first time ABS had been engaged so early in a project. Although not necessary for regulatory approvals, ABS gave ExxonMobil "another set of eyes" during planning and kept regulatory design revisions during the approval process to a minimum.
ABS is well known in its role as one of the world’s leading classification societies. The primary purpose of ABS is to determine the structural and mechanical fitness of ships and other marine structures for their intended purpose.
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This is accomplished through a procedure known as classification, which involves establishing and administering standards for the design, construction and operational maintenance of marine vessels and structures.
As a not-for-profit and non-governmental organization, ABS acts as a self-regulating agency to the international marine and offshore industries, with the mission of promoting the safety of life, property and the natural environment. It also has affiliated companies that provide inspection, certification, verification, quality assurance, consulting and risk assessment and management services to a variety of industries worldwide.
Solving problems before they occur
Early in the planning process, a team of ABS engineers worked side by side with ExxonMobil personnel to clarify regulatory requirements and set the stage for quick approvals of the initial designs. More than a dozen ABS engineers worked on the project, including time spent in ExxonMobil’s project offices in Houston. Over the course of the project ABS engineers reviewed nearly 4,000 submittals by the ExxonMobil design and construction team before delivery to the regulatory bodies. A submittal is a drawing, calculation or correspondence related to the project. All the construction drawings, piping drawings, electrical drawings, structural drawings, lifesaving equipment specifications and equipment layouts were included in the submittals along with other relevant documents.
Further complicating the already complex process of design reviews and vendor equipment certification were the simultaneous construction of the hull and topsides in different locations. The ABS team helped ExxonMobil keep control over all these concurrent processes by providing day-to-day support as well as detailed monthly reporting.
During the approval process, ABS acted as the Certified Verification Agent (CVA) for the MMS, which entailed reviewing the plans and certifying the structure as fit for purpose during the construction and installation periods. ABS also reviewed and stamped the plans as compliant on behalf of the U.S. Coast Guard as delegated under Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular 10-82, Change 2.
"The Hoover/Diana project is a great example of how ABS adds value by minimizing the amount of time it takes to meet and comply with regulatory requirements while helping clients maintain the highest industry standards in terms of safety," said ABS Vice President of Offshore Development, William J. Sember.
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