Page 22: of Marine Technology Magazine (October 2014)

Standardization is a buzzword in the subsea sector, but for many it remains a term shrouded by uncertainty. What exactly does the subsea market stand to gain from standardization, and how can it be applied to achieve optimum beneÞ t? But despite the questions, there are several generally accepted notions: standardization can re- duce overall costs and project timeframes across the industry; standardization requires industry-wide collaboration and it is something that must evolve over time. So, where to begin? A good place to start is with documentation. The New StandardsDNV GL has joined forces with partners from the subsea space in hopes of creating industry standards for subsea doc-umentation, an initiative that it says has been welcomed by the industry with wide participation from operators, EPC(I) contractors and suppliers representing all parts of the supply chain. The Joint Industry Practice (JIP) sets out to establish a DNV GL Recommended Practice (RP) aimed at initiating industry guidelines and recommendations required to docu-ment typical subsea products and systems, with an associated minimum set of documentation.ÒThe aim of this broad industry collaboration initiated by DNV GL and the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association is to de- velop a standardized set of subsea-system documents for de- signing, approving, manufacturing, verifying, operating and maintaining equipment,Ó explained the JIP project manager Jarl S. Magnusson of DNV GL Oil & Gas Advisory. DNV GL said the initiativeÕs origins trace back to a project 2010 for which standardized documentation arose as a sug-gestion from one of several projects developed by the Norwe- gian Oil and Gas Association to spur standardization within the subsea sector. Now, the drive is ultimately toward simpli- Þ ed, standardized documentation practices for players across the sector, from equipment suppliers to oil majors. Why address documentation? As worldwide subsea projects become increasingly complex, so too has the documentation needed to ensure regulatory and operational compliance, meaning preparation and mainte-nance of relevant documentation has become even more time consuming, complex and costly to deliver. On top of that, re- quirements differ signiÞ cantly between the major operators. DNV GL explained that typical subsea project can involve more than 10,000 documents, with up to 80,000 in a com-plex project over a lifecycle of 30 years. To develop, maintain and verify the quality, security, accuracy and availability of documentation, operators, contractors and suppliers will often spend millions on document management, technical review and information management systems. Consequently, the lack of standardization can lead to misunderstandings, a reduction in quality and difÞ culty in handling approvals, distribution Documentation  e Road to Standardization Will subsea documentation guidelines help pave the way for broader industry standardization? By Eric Haun22 MTROctober 2014MTR #8 (18-33).indd 22MTR #8 (18-33).indd 2210/10/2014 1:48:45 PM10/10/2014 1:48:45 PM