Please note that any addenda or errata may not be included in translated editions of this standard.

This recommended practice is based on global industry best practices and serves as a guide for those who are concerned with the design and construction of new fixed offshore platforms and for the relocation of existing platforms used for the drilling, development, production, and storage of hydrocarbons in offshore areas.

This publication serves as a guide for the design and construction of new platforms and for the relocation of existing platforms used for the drilling, development, and storage of hydrocarbons in offshore areas.

In addition, these guidelines shall be used in conjunction with API 2SIM for the assessment of existing platforms in the event that it becomes necessary to make a determination of the fitness-for-purpose of the structure.

Reference in this document is made to the 1989 edition of the AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings—Allowable Stress Design and Plastic Design. The use of later editions of AISC specifications is specifically not recommended for design of offshore platforms. The load and resistance factors in these specifications are based on calibration with building design practices and may not be applicable to offshore platforms. Research work is now in progress to incorporate the strength provisions of the new AISC code into API offshore design practices.