Next week in Houston, Texas a group of owners, manufacturers and third-party inspection organisations (Lloyd’s Register among them) will meet to finalise a new standard for offshore containers. ISO 10855 will cover offshore containers and associated lifting sets. Once approved by the ISO committee, it will be one of two global standards for offshore containers put forth by industry organisations for the safety of the global container industry.
Why a new standard?
It was the International Standards Organisation that first introduced a global standard for the now-familiar shipping container back in the late 1960’s. That led to standard sizes for containers, allowing for incredible efficiencies in their storing, loading, and transporting.
Offshore containers, however, are a specific type of container that needs more stringent standards. They are used to ferry supplies to and from offshore oil and gas rigs and platforms. Loading and unloading the containers is usually done by cranes hoisting them from supply ships using what are called sling sets.
You can imagine the forces at play here. Offshore containers are built to withstand the elements of open sea, including a requirement that their material withstand normal temperatures as low as -20°C (severe at -40°C). They also must be constructed to withstand the possibility of impact forces while being loaded and unloaded by cranes.
LR Energy Offshore Container Certification Guide
The ISO standard will therefore bring this speciality container into the fold of global standards for containers. Lloyd’s Register is a proud member of the working committee, contributing our experience with inspecting and certifying offshore containers, which will reach the 100,000 mark this year.
The ISO standard is scheduled to go into effect in 2015.
Why a new standard?
It was the International Standards Organisation that first introduced a global standard for the now-familiar shipping container back in the late 1960’s. That led to standard sizes for containers, allowing for incredible efficiencies in their storing, loading, and transporting.
Offshore containers, however, are a specific type of container that needs more stringent standards. They are used to ferry supplies to and from offshore oil and gas rigs and platforms. Loading and unloading the containers is usually done by cranes hoisting them from supply ships using what are called sling sets.
You can imagine the forces at play here. Offshore containers are built to withstand the elements of open sea, including a requirement that their material withstand normal temperatures as low as -20°C (severe at -40°C). They also must be constructed to withstand the possibility of impact forces while being loaded and unloaded by cranes.
LR Energy Offshore Container Certification Guide
The ISO standard will therefore bring this speciality container into the fold of global standards for containers. Lloyd’s Register is a proud member of the working committee, contributing our experience with inspecting and certifying offshore containers, which will reach the 100,000 mark this year.
The ISO standard is scheduled to go into effect in 2015.