When beginning in the offshore oil and gas industry, it is crucial to understand the classification societies and rule requirements for offshore modules. It can be confusing and hard to follow the various rules from the different classification societies if you don't have the facts. The industry spans the globe and is covered by many classification societies. The jurisdictions and regulations are dependent on many factors, including where the modules are working, the nation of origin of the offshore asset, the type of offshore asset, and others. Armoda has put together a list of the four primary societies you need to know. 

When working with offshore modules, the Den Norske Veritas regulatory society, most commonly known as DNV, has two certifications -  DNV 2.7-1 and DNV 2.7-2. As you can already tell, their names lend themselves to being easily mistaken for one another. In this article, we will break down each certification, so that going forward, you will be able to quickly and easily determine what each certification covers and never confuse them again.

Quick History of DNV

Den Norske Veritas (DNV) is a Norwegian classification society established in 1864 to provide rules for assessing the risks of insuring individual vessels. When oil was found in the North Sea, DNV was well suited to take on a regulatory role and provide supervision and inspecting for the offshore assets, such as the platforms, rigs, and supply vessels used to explore and drill for oil. In its regulatory role, DNV began issuing lists of standards for certifications that manufacturers and offshore assets would need to meet to pass inspection and become certified. These certifications cover a broad range of topics related to things like the construction of the vessels, passenger safety, and handling hazardous or dangerous goods and chemicals.

Please note: Over time, DNV has updated these standards to keep up with the changes in manufacturing and best practices for safety. Therefore, this article will be referencing the most current version published at the time of writing, Offshore Containers Standard for Certification No. 2.7-1 June 2013 and Offshore Service Modules Standard for Certification No. 2.7-2 February 2016. The most recent version of DNV requirements is available on their website. 

Offshore Containers Standard for Certification No. 2.7-1 (DNV 2.7-1)

The Standard for Certification No. 2.7-1 applies for transport and lifting-related requirements for offshore containers. DNV 2.7-1 is based upon European standard EN 12079 and is globally accepted for the offshore lifting of containers at sea. These requirements ensure the safety of the crews who work with the containers, the environment, and the vessel and installation the containers are moved to or from. The standard covers the materials, design review, manufacturing, testing, certification, marking, and periodic inspection.

For the standard, an offshore container is considered to be “a portable unit used for repeatable use in the transportation of goods or equipment, handled in open seas, to, from or between fixed and/or floating installations and ships.” The units are then broken into three categories: offshore freight containers, offshore service containers, or an offshore waste skip. Offshore modules such as Armoda’s G4 series modules and the FLEX series of accommodation modules fall under the offshore service container category. RedGuard’s offshore modules are DNV 2.7-1 certified for safe transportation and lifting at sea.

DNV 2.7-1 certifies offshore modules for transportation and lifting.

Offshore Service Modules Standard for Certification No. 2.7-2 (DNV 2.7-2)

The Standard for Certification No. 2.7-2 combines a collection of requirements for offshore service modules focused on ensuring the modules can be safely installed on offshore installations. DNV 2.7-2 governs the electrical and safety systems of the modules. The requirements consolidate various international codes and standards for an offshore hazardous area workspace by bringing together the requirements of IMO, SOLAS, FTP, MODU, and global explosion safety standards. The standard covers:

• Structural, technical requirements
• Safety-related technical requirements
• Module service types
• Installation and hook up
• Marking and instructions
• Approval and certification procedures.

Armoda’s lease fleet consists of Zone 1 rated offshore modules that are DNV 2.7-2 certified for offshore installations. These modules are typically utilized for modular offices, labs, data logging, control rooms, workshop modules, and equipment enclosures.

These two standards are often only referred to as “DNV certification” and the differences aren’t always clearly defined. This naming convention has confused many people entering the offshore oil and gas industry. As we have broken down here, the Offshore Containers Standard for Certification No. 2.7-1 (DNV 2.7-1) covers the requirements for transporting and lifting offshore containers. The Offshore Service Modules Standard for Certification No. 2.7-2 (DNV 2.7-2) covers the requirements for safely installing offshore service modules on offshore installations.

If you have questions about any of the requirements listed in these standards for certification, reach out to one of our subject matter experts! You can learn more about classification societies and much more at the Armoda blog.