The American Petroleum Institute (API) is publishing three new interim documents related to hurricane preparedness with final recommended practices expected next year.
Over the past year, API and the US oil and natural gas industry have continued to work closely with the Departments of Energy and Homeland Security, the Minerals Management Service, and the Coast Guard to be fully prepared for this year’s hurricane season, API said. The action was prompted by the three major hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005, Ivan, Katrina, and Rita.
API said the offshore infrastructure in the Gulf, which includes some 4,000 platforms and 33,000 miles of pipeline, survived the three storms well. However, there were still lessons to be learned and improvements in performance to be made.
API pointed out that the industry’s upstream sector continues to analyze and apply updated environmental data on how powerful storms affect conditions in the Gulf. During the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes, waves were higher and winds were stronger than anticipated in deeper parts of the Gulf. The revised wind and wave data prompted API to reassess its recommended practices for operations there. API published three interim documents for the 2006 hurricane season covering the operation and construction of both mobile offshore drilling units and fixed and floating production platforms.