This part of ISO 13624 pertains to the design, selection, operation and maintenance of marine riser systems
for floating drilling operations. Its purpose is to serve as a reference for designers, for those who select system
components, and for those who use and maintain this equipment. It relies on basic engineering principles and
the accumulated experience of offshore operators, contractors, and manufacturers.
NOTE Technology is advancing in this field and improved methods and equipment are continually evolving. Each
owner and operator is encouraged to observe the recommendations outlined herein and to supplement them with other
proven technology that can result in more cost effective, safer, and/or more reliable performance.
The marine drilling riser is best viewed as a system. It is necessary that designers, contractors, and operators
realize that the individual components are recommended and selected in a manner suited to the overall
performance of that system. For the purposes of this part of ISO 13624, a marine drilling riser system includes
the tensioner system and all equipment between the top connection of the upper flex/ball joint and the bottom
of wellhead conductor outer casing. It specifically excludes the diverter. Also, the applicability of this part of
ISO 13624 is limited to operations with a subsea BOP stack deployed at the seafloor.
Clauses 1 through 7 of this part of ISO 13624 are directly applicable to most floating drilling operations.
Special situations are addressed in 8.1 and 8.4 dealing with deep-water drilling and collapse. The special
considerations required for guidelineless drilling are addressed in 8.2. In addition, 8.3 and 8.5 address
operations in cold-weather conditions and H2S considerations.
It is important that all riser primary-load-path components addressed in this part of ISO 13624 be consistent
with the load classifications specified in ISO 13625.