The NewsRoom
Release: #3155
Date: September 29, 2004 

MMS to Hold Structural Assessment Process Dissemination Meeting 

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) will hold a Structural Assessment Process Dissemination Meeting on the proposed changes to American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice (API RP) 2A Section 17 on October 14, 2004.  The meeting will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon at the MMS Gulf of Mexico Regional Office, 1201 Elmwood Park Blvd, New Orleans.

Although Section 17 provides an important and robust process to determine the fitness-for-purpose of existing platforms, there are several important areas where greater clarity would be beneficial.  Discussions to revise Section 17 began in September 2003 when the MMS hosted the workshop “Assessment of Existing Offshore Structures.”

A key recommendation from the Workshop was for API, through Sub-Committee 2, to address formally the specific concerns of MMS and to consider the benefits of updating Section 17.  The need for improved clarity, especially in the definition of exposure categories, was recognized.  Since the workshop, a task group was established to review the requirements and update RP2A Section 17.  This work has now been completed and the updated document issued for API balloting.

At this meeting, a panel of experts will explain the proposed modifications (and implications) to API RP2A Section 17, communicate the timeline for introduction of the modified Section 17 supplement, communicate future proposed work in relation to developing a stand-alone API Recommended Practice entitled “Structural Integrity Management of Existing Offshore Platforms,” receive feedback through panel discussions, and address questions from the meeting participants.

The agenda for the meeting is as follows: 

AGENDA 

Registration and Information Contact:

MSL Service Corporation is responsible for the coordination and administration of the meeting.  Please contact Kristina Taylor for further information and to register for this event.  Telephone: 713-463-6180.
 

How to Register

             By Mail:  Send your completed registration form to
                              Attention:  Kristina Taylor
                              MSL Service Corporation
                              11111 Katy Freeway Suite 620
                              Houston, TX 77079

              By Fax:  Send your completed registration form to 713-463-6557

              Via email: to Kristina Taylor at ktaylor@mslengineering.com

               Via the Internet: Online registration is available at www.mslengineering.com

Registration Deadline

Registration details must be confirmed no later than October 12, 2004, by the end of business day.  No walk-ins will be permitted.

The Minerals Management Service is the federal agency in the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages the nation’s oil, natural gas, and other mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf in Federal offshore waters.  The agency also collects, accounts for, and disburses mineral revenues from Federal and American Indian lands.  MMS disbursed more than $8 billion in FY 2003 and more than $135 billion since the agency was created in 1982.  Nearly $1 billion from those revenues go into the Land and Water Conservation Fund annually for the acquisition and development of state and Federal park and recreation lands.

Relevant Web Sites:
   MMS Main Website
   Gulf of Mexico Website

Media Contacts:
   Debra Winbush  (504) 736-2597
   Caryl Fagot        (504) 736-2590

MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for America
U.S. Department of the Interior