The Future of Offshore Structural Integrity Management: Evolution, Insights, and Implications of ISO 19901-9, 2nd Edition

Abstract The Oil and Gas industries, including the lower carbon energy sector, are presently facing significant challenges in managing integrity of aging offshore structures due to increasing costs and reduced revenue due to depleting reservoirs, while also contending with AI led disruption. The 2nd edition of ISO 19901-9 – Structural Integrity Management (SIM) of Fixed Offshore Structures (hereinafter STANDARD), which will be published by 2028, will introduce major changes in code requirements relating to facility Fitness-for-Service assessment, life extension and repurposing for renewable services, to respond to the fast-evolving landscape in the energy sector. Outside of the STANDARD's working group (comprising of experts representing international operators, certification bodies and service providers), there exists a large group of stakeholders who are not aware of the changes that will impact them soon when the ISO Standard becomes the over-arching compliance Standard for SIM of fixed offshore structures and will become available for adoption. The paper's objective is to bring into the public domain the changing requirements, which will come with new challenges and opportunities. This paper will: Narrate how the STANDARD evolved as a project based on lessons learned from decades of SIM applications in the industry,Feature key insights into the STANDARD's requirements, sharing the expertise of the code writers to help understand, interpret and implement the changes, andExplain the industry implications of the provisions of the STANDARD. The key features of the contents included in the STANDARD are: A holistic SIM framework that can be consistently adopted across all offshore structures around the worldA full range of structural assessment approaches, with detailed Fitness-for-Service (FFS) criteria, for continuing operations, life extension or repurposing of facilities for renewables service/s (e.g., Hydrogen, CCS, substations)A comprehensive end-to-end coverage of requirements and guidance for every element of the SIM framework thus closing the gaps existing in other international standards This paper will cover the key topics that will be introduced in the STANDARD, viz. a comprehensive SIM framework, the most exhaustive sets of assessment approaches and methods ever covered in any offshore structural Standard (including structural reliability analysis and risk informed methods), Risk-based Inspection (RBI) methodologies, life extension, platform repurposing, Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), Digital Twins (DT), and SIM audit framework. It will provide key insights into seamlessly operating offshore assets to manage future challenges. The author is the Project Leader of ISO 19901-9 Ed. 2, and the co-authors are a part of the team that developed the contents of the STANDARD since 2020. ISO 19901-9 Ed. 2 heralds a paradigm shift in SIM practice relating to offshore structures. The code writers believe that this paper will help all SIM practitioners correctly interpret the STANDARD, which will shape the roadmap leading to the future of offshore SIM. This paper will also benefit all integrity stakeholders by enabling seamless transition to the changes ushered in by the STANDARD, thus creating a strong business value through an optimized SIM framework that underpins enhanced asset safety.