The API offshore crane and safe lifting standards provide the design basis and construction, operations and maintenance, and training guidelines and requirements for offshore pedestal-mounted cranes and related equipment. They are intended to be used together, as appropriate, to better serve the product manufacturers and end-users for use in offshore exploration and production applications on fixed and floating structures or vessels.
An API standards subcommittee was established to develop and maintain new and existing consensus-based standards covering offshore pedestal-mounted cranes and related equipment and activities. The standards developed and maintained by this subcommittee will be supported by subject-matter expertise in the applications of:
- exploration/production―cranes typically mounted on a fixed or floating structure, or vessel used in drilling and production operations,
- shipboard―cranes mounted on surface-type vessels and are used to move cargo, containers, and other materials while the crane is within a harbor or sheltered area, and
- vessel―cranes typically mounted on ship-shaped vessels, semi-submersibles, barges, or self-elevating type marine vessels specialized in lifting heavy and/or unique loads for construction, pipe lay, renewable energy, salvage, and subsea applications in both harbor and offshore waters).
This subcommittee will also address cargo carrying units (CCUs) specifically designed for repetitive use in the transport of goods and equipment among fixed/floating offshore installations, ships/vessels, and/or shore-based operations and provides requirements on the design, manufacture, inspection, testing, and marking, and considers the dynamic lifting and impact forces that can occur when handling such equipment in open seas.
With the high-interest related to offshore cranes by regulatory authorities (such as BSEE and the U.S. Coast Guard), the creation of a standards committee within this industry sector will provide a technical resource to support API's regulatory and policy initiatives related to lifting equipment and activities for offshore operations.
API's existing crane operating and maintenance practices cover a wide range of crane types and configurations, and not all practices are applicable to all cranes. The provisions in these standards are based on global best practices based on the collective knowledge and experiences of those that participated in developing these standards. The content of these standards represents the contribution from industry representatives of crane owners and users, crane and wire rope manufacturers, and ancillary crane device or component manufacturers. Conformance to the standards is intended to result in cranes that operate safely and efficiently between inspection periods and in accordance with a company's safety and environmental management system.
