Canada–Nova Scotia Offshore Area Petroleum Operations Framework Regulations (SOR/2024-26)

Marginal note:Station-keeping

146 An operator must ensure that a floating platform is equipped with a mooring system or a dynamic positioning system to ensure station-keeping of the platform within its operating limits.

Marginal note:Mooring system

• 147 (1) An operator must ensure that a mooring system with which a floating platform is equipped is designed, on the basis of analysis and model testing, to ensure

  • (a) safety and the protection of the environment;

  • (b) the stability and serviceability of the floating platform;

  • (c) the integrity and serviceability of the mooring system components, including any related topside equipment;

  • (d) the integrity and serviceability of drilling risers, production risers, export risers or any other type of riser;

  • (e) the necessary redundancy of the mooring system components to enable the floating platform to maintain its position with the loss of a single component or, for a thruster-assisted mooring system, the loss of the most effective thruster or a single failure in the power or control system;

  • (f) for a thruster-assisted mooring system, the ability of the floating platform to withstand extreme meteorological conditions in the event of a power failure;

  • (g) the ability of the floating platform to move from its position to avoid accidental events that it is not designed to withstand; and

  • (h) safe access and safe clearances with respect to subsea and surface components of the installation, any nearby installations, support vessels and evacuation systems.

• Marginal note:Excursion limits

  (2) The operator must ensure that the excursion limits of a floating platform that is equipped with a mooring system are established on the basis of the analysis and model testing referred to in subsection (1).

• Marginal note:Loss of station-keeping or failure

  (3) The operator must ensure that the floating platform has systems and processes to continuously detect loss of station-keeping or the failure of any mooring system component.

• Marginal note:Monitoring

  (4) The operator must ensure that mooring line tensions or other indicators of the integrity of the mooring system are monitored and kept within the mooring system’s operating limits.

• Marginal note:Measures

  (5) The operator must ensure that measures to ensure that the mooring system continues to perform in accordance with its design specifications are implemented, including

  • (a) the assessment of the system’s condition, periodically and if it is damaged or if damage to it is suspected; and

  • (b) the making of arrangements for timely repair or replacement in the event of damage or deterioration.

Marginal note:Disconnectable mooring system

• 148 (1) If the mooring system with which a floating platform is equipped is disconnectable, the operator must ensure that the system is designed to ensure that disconnection can be accomplished in a controlled manner without creating a risk of drift-off.

• Marginal note:Safety plan

  (2) The operator must ensure that the disconnectable mooring system is designed and maintained in accordance with the measures referred to in clause 9(2)(b)(vi)(D) that are described in the operator’s safety plan.

• Marginal note:Primary and backup systems

  (3) The operator must ensure that the disconnectable mooring system includes a primary system and a backup system for disconnection, both of which can be operated locally or from a remote location.

• Marginal note:Floating platform capability

  (4) The operator must ensure that a floating platform that is equipped with a disconnectable mooring system is capable of

  • (a) safely manoeuvering away under its own power; and

  • (b) maintaining a safe position and heading while disconnected.

• Marginal note:Criteria and procedures for disconnection

  (5) The operator must ensure that criteria and procedures for disconnection are developed for all credible disconnection scenarios, including procedures for monitoring environmental conditions and providing alerts for worsening conditions that may require disconnection.

• Marginal note:Disconnection and reconnection

  (6) The operator must ensure that the disconnectable mooring system

  • (a) is capable of carrying out a planned disconnection after allowing time for the depressurization and flushing of subsea flowlines;

  • (b) is capable of carrying out an emergency disconnection after allowing time to safely shut in wells and subsea equipment;

  • (c) allows for the reconnection to the floating platform of the system and flowlines in an orderly sequence, in the physical and environmental conditions described in the operations manual under paragraph 157(2)(c); and

  • (d) allows for the resumption of production after the system and flowlines have been reconnected to the floating platform following a planned disconnection;

• Marginal note:Periodic verification of disconnection capability

  (7) The operator must periodically verify the disconnect capability of the disconnectable mooring system and must record the findings resulting from the verification.

• Marginal note:Excursion limits exceeded

  (8) The operator must ensure that the emergency disconnection referred to in paragraph (6)(b) is initiated if the floating platform exceeds the excursion limits established under subsection 147(2).

Marginal note:Dynamic positioning system

• 149 (1) An operator must ensure that the design of a dynamic positioning system with which a floating platform is equipped

  • (a) is based on numerical analysis and model testing to ensure that the floating platform’s position reference and directional control can be maintained within specified tolerances that satisfy design operational requirements in relation to all functional and environmental loads to which the system may be subjected at the floating platform’s intended location;

  • (b) is based on a failure modes and effects analysis to ensure the segregation and redundancy of safety-critical systems and their components as necessary to maintain the platform’s position in the event that credible scenarios of equipment failure are realized;

  • (c) allows the dynamic positioning system to withstand the loss from fire or flooding of all of its components situated in any one watertight compartment or fire subdivision of the floating platform; and

  • (d) includes systems to monitor the parameters of operability and integrity of the critical systems of the dynamic positioning system and to provide alerts for critical system faults.

• Marginal note:Excursion limits

  (2) The operator must ensure that the excursion limits of a floating platform that is equipped with a dynamic positioning system are established based on the numerical analysis and model testing referred to in paragraph (1)(a).

Marginal note:Disconnect system

• 150 (1) An operator must ensure that a floating platform that is equipped with a dynamic positioning system has a disconnect system that

  • (a) is capable of carrying out a planned disconnection of the floating platform from the seabed after allowing time to prepare the risers and subsea flowlines for the disconnection;

  • (b) is capable of carrying out an emergency disconnection after allowing time to safely shut in wells and subsea equipment; and

  • (c) allows for reconnection in an orderly sequence, in the physical and environmental conditions described in the operations manual under paragraph 157(2)(c).

• Marginal note:Demonstration

  (2) The operator must periodically demonstrate by means of a trial or performance test that the disconnect system meets the requirements under subsection (1).

• Marginal note:Excursion limits exceeded

  (3) The operator must ensure that the emergency disconnection referred to in paragraph (1)(b) is initiated if the floating platform exceeds the excursion limits established under subsection 149(2).

Marginal note:Decisions and exemptions

151 For any floating platform that is registered outside Canada, the operator must

• (a) establish a list of all flag State administration decisions and exemptions that apply to the floating platform in relation to any standards adopted by the International Maritime Organization;

• (b) conduct a risk assessment to identify measures to reduce the safety and environmental risks in relation to those decisions and exemptions to a level that is as low as reasonably practicable; and

• (c) establish an action plan to implement the measures referred to in paragraph (b).

Marginal note:Gap analysis

152 The operator must, every time the MODU Code is updated,

• (a) undertake a gap analysis between the criteria in the updated version and the version that applies to the floating platform based on its date of construction;

• (b) conduct a risk assessment in relation to any gaps identified; and

• (c) ensure that mitigation measures are implemented, as necessary.

Asset Integrity

Marginal note:Requirements

153 An operator must ensure that all installations, including their systems and equipment, are inspected, monitored, tested, maintained and operated to

• (a) ensure safety, the protection of the environment and the prevention of waste; and

• (b) ensure that they continue to perform in accordance with their design specifications under the operating conditions and maximum loads to which they may be subjected.

Marginal note:Non-destructive examination

154 An operator must ensure that a non-destructive examination of the critical joints and structural parts of an installation is conducted at least once every five years or more often as required to ensure the continued safe operation of the installation.

Marginal note:Corrosion management

• 155 (1) An operator must ensure that if a safety or environmental hazard would result from the failure due to corrosion — including corrosion from exposure to a sour environment — of any equipment, including process vessels, or of any piping, valves, fittings and structural elements that are part of an installation, that corrosion is prevented and managed throughout the life cycle of the installation.

• Marginal note:Corrosion management program

  (2) The operator must develop a corrosion management program that sets out the measures that are necessary to prevent critical failures resulting from corrosion-related degradation and to ensure the continued integrity of safety-critical elements.

• Marginal note:Program requirements

  (3) The program must

  • (a) identify all safety-critical elements that are susceptible to degradation by corrosion;

  • (b) provide for the analysis that is necessary to determine corrosion degradation mechanisms and the limits and failure modes of the safety-critical elements referred to in paragraph (a), taking into account the physical and environmental conditions and chemicals to which it is foreseeable that the safety-critical elements may be exposed;

  • (c) include measures to prevent corrosion, as far as is practicable, and to mitigate or protect against the effects of corrosion;

  • (d) provide for the inspection and monitoring of corrosion and of any corrosion protection and prevention systems;

  • (e) provide for the collection and analysis of baseline and continuous data to monitor corrosion;

  • (f) provide for the continuous assessment, based on the data and analysis referred to in paragraph (e), of the maintenance activities and schedules referred to in paragraph 159(2)(f) to determine whether those activities and schedules are adequate to ensure corrosion management of safety-critical elements and provide for the modification of those activities and schedules, if necessary;

  • (g) provide for timely preventive maintenance of any corrosion protection and prevention systems; and

  • (h) provide for the timely inspection, monitoring and maintenance of safety-critical elements in accordance with the requirements of the maintenance program referred to in paragraphs 159(2)(e) and (f) and for any necessary repair before the limits established in paragraph (b) are reached.

• Marginal note:Program implementation and update

  (4) The operator must ensure that the program is implemented and periodically updated, taking into account the data and analysis referred to in paragraph (3)(e).

Operation and Maintenance

Marginal note:Limits and requirements

156 An operator must operate an installation, including its systems and equipment, in accordance with any limitations that are set out in the certificate of fitness under subsection 28(3), with any requirements under this Part and with the operations manual referred to in section 157.

Marginal note:Operations manual

• 157 (1) An operator must develop an operations manual in respect of each installation that sets out or incorporates by reference the following documents and information:

  • (a) a general description of the installation, including its particular characteristics;

  • (b) the chain of command and the roles, responsibilities and authorities of persons during normal operations of the installation and in emergency situations;

  • (c) a brief description of the systems and equipment on the installation, including flow sheets and instructions for the assembly, use and maintenance of the systems and equipment;

  • (d) the operating limits of the installation, including those of its systems and equipment;

  • (e) the physical and environmental conditions under which the installation and any pipeline can operate without compromising safety or the protection of the environment and the physical and environmental conditions that the installation and pipeline can withstand, taking into account the results of any analyses, tests, numerical modelling or investigations undertaken under subsection 105(2);

  • (f) the results of the risk and reliability analysis conducted for the purpose of subsection 108(1);

  • (g) a list of the procedures necessary to ensure the safe operation of the installation, including its systems and equipment, within the limits described in paragraph (d);

  • (h) a list of the accidental events that would require implementing the contingency plan referred to in section 11, any possible triggers for such events and the measures to be implemented to avoid their occurrence;

  • (i) a list of the procedures, practices, resources and monitoring measures set out in the contingency plan referred to in section 11;

  • (j) the criteria for each platform’s minimum penetration into the seabed or for the maximum scour of the platform’s foundation and an indication of the arrangement of the platform’s anchoring system;

  • (k) a description of the characteristics of each platform’s foundation and its penetration into the seabed or an indication of the arrangement of the platform’s anchoring system, as well as a description of the measures to be implemented to monitor the integrity of the foundation or that of the mooring and anchoring systems;

  • (l) the criteria to identify meteorological and oceanographic conditions and phenomena that require subsea components and pipelines to be inspected;

  • (m) plans that show the arrangement of watertight and weathertight subdivisions;

  • (n) details of openings in watertight and weathertight subdivisions, including the location of vents, air pipes and all other means of water penetration, and the means of closure of the compartments, as well as the location of downflooding points;

  • (o) a plan that contains information concerning permissible deck loads, variable loading limits and preloading;

  • (p) details of all audible and visual signals and alarms used in the communication system referred to in section 129, the general alarm system referred to in section 130, the fire and gas detection system referred to in section 132 and the emergency shutdown system referred to in section 133, as well as details of any colour-coding systems used for the safety of persons on the installation;

  • (q) information on any corrosion protection and prevention systems, including their type and location, and any requirements for the safety and maintenance of those systems;

  • (r) technical drawings that show

    • (i) the arrangement of any deck structure and of the equipment located on it, of all accommodations areas and temporary safe refuges and of any aircraft landing area, including its obstacle-free approach zone,

    • (ii) sufficient details to permit verification and management, if applicable, of the integrity of hulls, mooring components, primary and critical structures, foundation elements, jacking mechanisms, risers and conductors,

    • (iii) the arrangement of hazardous areas and of any equipment located in those areas, and

    • (iv) a fire control and evacuation plan, including

      • (A) the location of escape routes, fixed fire suppression systems and life-saving appliances, and

      • (B) the arrangement of barriers that provide passive fire and blast protection and associated equipment, along with a description of those barriers and equipment;

  • (s) the operating and maintenance requirements for all the life-saving appliances referred to in section 119;

  • (t) information identifying the aircraft that were used for the design of any aircraft landing area on the installation and the maximum weight, size and wheel centres of those aircraft;

  • (u) any special arrangements in place to facilitate the inspection and maintenance of the installation, including its systems and equipment, and the storage of any crude oil on the installation;

  • (v) special precautions to be taken or instructions to be followed when repairs or alterations to the installation, including its systems or equipment, are to be carried out;

  • (w) any special operational or emergency requirements and procedures with respect to any systems and equipment that are critical to safety, including the emergency shutdown system referred to in section 133;

  • (x) a description of the air gap or freeboard and of the means of ensuring that the requirements under section 141 and subsections 142(2) and 145(1) and (3), as the case may be, are met;

  • (y) the number of persons who can be accommodated on the installation during normal operations;

  • (z) a description of the main electrical power supply referred to in subsection 122(4) and the emergency electrical power supply referred to in section 126 and any limitations on their operation;

  • (z.1) the procedure for periodically documenting the results of all inspections, monitoring, testing and maintenance of the installation’s integrity, including the format and presentation of that documentation; and

  • (z.2) the procedure for notifying the Chief Safety Officer and the certifying authority under subsections 162(1) and 170(1) and (2).

• Marginal note:Additional information — floating platform

  (2) In the case of a floating platform, the operations manual must also contain

  • (a) a description of the platform’s station-keeping system and its capabilities, taking into account the platform’s operating limits;

  • (b) all procedures for addressing the failure of any component of the station-keeping system that is critical to safety;

  • (c) if the station-keeping system is a mooring system, descriptions of the environmental loads that the moorings can sustain to keep the platform moored in place, the estimated holding power and capacity of the anchors in relation to the soil at the drill site or production site and the physical and environmental conditions in which reconnection of the platform is permitted;

  • (d) the procedures for addressing an excursion outside of the limits established in the context of the analysis and model testing under subsections 147(2) and 149(2);

  • (e) a description and the limitations of any onboard computer or computer-based control systems used in operations such as ballasting and dynamic positioning and in the platform’s trim and stability calculations;

  • (f) instructions on how to assess the loading and ballast conditions of the platform to determine its stability and how to manage those conditions to maintain the platform’s stability in accordance with the provisions referred to in subsection 142(3);

  • (g) data on the location, type and weights of permanent ballast installed on the platform;

  • (h) hydrostatic curves or equivalent data;

  • (i) a plan that shows the capacities and the centres of gravity of tanks and bulk material stowage compartments;

  • (j) tank-sounding tables or curves that show the capacities and the centres of gravity in graduated intervals and the free surface data for each tank;

  • (k) stability data that take into account the maximum height of the centre of gravity above the keel in relation to the draught curve and other parameters relevant to the stability of the platform;

  • (l) the results of any inclining test, or of any lightweight survey together with the inclining test results, and the updated location of the platform centre of gravity following a deadweight survey;

  • (m) examples of loading conditions for each mode of operation, together with the means to evaluate any other loading conditions;

  • (n) technical drawings that

    • (i) show the arrangement and location of all openings that could affect the stability of the platform and their means of closure,

    • (ii) show the arrangement and operation of the ballast and bilge systems,

    • (iii) are accompanied by the operating instructions for the ballast and bilge systems, and

    • (iv) are sufficient in their scope and detail to ensure, in combination with the instructions referred to in subparagraph (iii), that

      • (A) the necessary draught, stability and hull strength can be maintained under all foreseeable operating conditions, and

      • (B) the floating platform can be returned to a safe condition from an unintended draught, trim or heel; and

  • (o) a towing arrangement plan, if necessary, and the operating limits of the towing equipment’s components.

• Marginal note:Additional information — mobile offshore platform

  (3) In the case of a self-elevating mobile offshore platform, the operations manual must also contain

  • (a) a description of any equipment for elevating and lowering the installation and details of any special types of joints and their purpose, including any operating or maintenance instructions for the equipment and joints; and

  • (b) the allowable limits for hull inclination and rack phase differential.

• Marginal note:Up-to-date

  (4) The operator must ensure that the operations manual is kept up-to-date.