Resolution A.1023(26)

Adopted on 2 December 2009

As amended by A 26/Res.1023/Corr.1 (17 January 2011)

 

CODE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPMENT OF MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS, 2009 (2009 MODU CODE)

 

THE ASSEMBLY,

 

RECALLING Article 15(j) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Assembly in relation to regulations and guidelines concerning maritime safety,

 

NOTING that mobile offshore drilling units continue to be moved and operated internationally,

 

RECOGNIZING that the design criteria for such units are often quite different from those of conventional ships and that, by virtue of this, international conventions (such as the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended, and the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966, as amended) cannot apply in respect of mobile offshore drilling units,

 

RECALLING FURTHER that, when the Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU Code) was adopted in 1979 by resolution A.414(XI), it was recognized that the design technology of mobile offshore drilling units was rapidly evolving and that new features of mobile offshore drilling units were being introduced to improve technical and safety standards,

 

RECALLING ALSO the adoption of the Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU Code), 1989, which superseded the 1979 MODU Code, by resolution A.649(16), following a number of tragic MODU casualties which emphasized the need for a review of the international safety standards developed by the Organization,

 

NOTING that, since the adoption of the 1989 MODU Code, ICAO has adopted amendments to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, which impact on the 1989 Code provisions for helicopter facilities; and that the Organization has, since, adopted a number of amendments to SOLAS regulations, which are referenced in the 1989 MODU Code,

 

HAVING considered the recommendation made by the Maritime Safety Committee at its eighty-sixth session,

 

1.         ADOPTS the Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units, 2009 (2009 MODU Code), set out in the Annex to this resolution, which supersedes the existing 1989 MODU Code adopted by resolution A.649(16), for mobile offshore drilling units, the keels of which are laid or which are at a similar stage of construction on or after 1 January 2012;

 

2.         INVITES Governments concerned to:

 

(a)       take appropriate action to give effect to the 2009 MODU Code;

 

(b)      consider the Code as equivalent, for purposes of application to mobile offshore drilling units, to the technical requirements of the conventions specified in the third preambular paragraph; and

 

(c)       inform the Organization of measures taken in this respect;

 

3.         AUTHORIZES the Maritime Safety Committee to amend the 2009 MODU Code as appropriate, taking into consideration developments in design and technology, in consultation with appropriate organizations.

 

ANNEX

 

CODE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPMENT OF MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS, 2009 (2009 MODU CODE)

 

CONTENTS

 

PREAMBLE

 

Chapter 1 – General

 

1.1       Purpose

1.2       Application

1.3       Definitions

1.4       Exemptions

1.5       Equivalents

1.6       Surveys and certification

1.7       Control

1.8       Casualties

1.9       Review of the Code

 

Chapter 2 – Construction, strength and materials

 

2.1       General

2.2       Access

2.3       Design loads

2.4       Structural analysis

2.5       Special considerations for surface units

2.6       Special considerations for self-elevating units

2.7       Special considerations for column-stabilized units

2.8       Towing arrangements

2.9       Fatigue analysis

2.10     Materials

2.11     Anti-fouling systems

2.12     Protective coatings of dedicated seawater ballast tanks

2.13     Construction portfolio

2.14     Welding

2.15     Testing

2.16     Drainage and sediment control

 

Chapter 3 – Subdivision, stability and freeboard

 

3.1       Inclining test

3.2       Righting moment and heeling moment curves

3.3       Intact stability criteria

3.4       Subdivision and damage stability

3.5       Extent of damage

3.6       Watertight integrity

3.7       Freeboard

 

Chapter 4 – Machinery installations for all types of units

 

4.1       General

4.2       Alternative design and arrangements

4.3       Machinery

4.4       Steam boilers and boiler feed systems

4.5       Steam pipe systems

4.6       Machinery controls

4.7       Air pressure systems

4.8       Arrangements for oil fuel, lubricating oil and other flammable oils

4.9       Bilge pumping arrangements

4.10     Ballast pumping arrangements on column-stabilized units

4.11     Protection against flooding

4.12     Anchoring arrangements for surface and column-stabilized units

4.13     Dynamic positioning systems

4.14     Elevating systems for self-elevating units

 

Chapter 5 – Electrical installations for all types of units

 

5.1       General

5.2       Alternative design and arrangements

5.3       Main source of electrical power

5.4       Emergency source of electrical power

5.5       Starting arrangements for emergency generators

5.6       Precautions against shock, fire and other hazards of electrical origin

5.7       Alarms and internal communication

 

Chapter 6 – Machinery and electrical installations in hazardous areas for all types of units

 

6.1       Zones

6.2       Classification of hazardous areas

6.3       Openings, access and ventilation conditions affecting the extent of hazardous areas

6.4       Ventilation of hazardous spaces

6.5       Emergency conditions due to drilling operations

6.6       Electrical installations in hazardous areas

6.7       Machinery installations in hazardous areas

 

Chapter 7 – Machinery and electrical installations for self-propelled units

 

7.1       General

7.2       Means of going astern

7.3       Steam boilers and boiler feed systems

7.4       Machinery controls

7.5       Steering

7.6       Electric and electrohydraulic steering gear

7.7       Communication between the navigating bridge and the engine-room

7.8       Engineers’ alarm

7.9       Main source of electrical power

7.10     Emergency source of electrical power

 

Chapter 8 – Periodically unattended machinery spaces for all types of units

 

8.1       General

8.2       Application

8.3       Fire protection

8.4       Protection against flooding

8.5       Bridge control of propulsion machinery

8.6       Communication

8.7       Alarm system

8.8       Special provisions for machinery, boiler and electrical installations

8.9       Safety systems

 

Chapter 9 – Fire safety

 

9.1       Alternative design and arrangements

9.2       Structural fire protection

9.3       Protection of accommodation spaces, service spaces and control stations

9.4       Means of escape

9.5       Fire safety systems

9.6       Emergency escape breathing devices

9.7       Fire pumps, fire mains, hydrants and hoses

9.8       Fire-extinguishing arrangement in machinery spaces and in spaces containing fired processes

9.9       Portable fire extinguishers in accommodation, service and working spaces

9.10     Fire detection and alarm system

9.11     Flammable gas detection and alarm system

9.12     Hydrogen sulphide detection and alarm system

9.13     Fire-fighters’ outfits

9.14     Recharging of air cylinders

9.15     Arrangements in machinery and working spaces

9.16     Provisions for helicopter facilities

9.17     Storage of gas cylinders

9.18     Fire control plan

9.19     Operational readiness and maintenance

 

Chapter 10 – Life-saving appliances and equipment

 

10.1     General

10.2     Alternative design and arrangements

10.3     Survival craft

10.4     Survival craft muster and embarkation arrangements

10.5     Survival craft launching stations

10.6     Stowage of survival craft

10.7     Survival craft launching and recovery arrangements

10.8     Rescue boats

10.9     Stowage of rescue boats

10.10   Rescue boat embarkation, launching and recovery arrangements

10.11   Lifejackets

10.12   Immersion suits and anti-exposure suits

10.13   Lifebuoys

10.14   Radio life-saving appliances

10.15   Distress flares

10.16   Line-throwing appliances

10.17   Operating instructions

10.18   Operational readiness, maintenance and inspections

 

Chapter 11 – Radiocommunication and navigation

 

11.1     General

11.2     Training

11.3     Self-propelled units

11.4     Non-self-propelled units under tow

11.5     Units stationary at the site or engaged in drilling operations

11.6     Helicopter communications

11.7     Internal communications

11.8     Performance standards

11.9     Survey of the radio station

11.10   Navigation equipment

 

Chapter 12 – Lifting devices, personnel and pilot transfer

 

12.1     Cranes

12.2     Lifting and hoisting equipment

12.3     Personnel lifts

12.4     Personnel and pilot transfer

12.5     Drilling derricks

 

Chapter 13 – Helicopter facilities

 

13.1     General

13.2     Definitions

13.3     Construction

13.4     Arrangements

13.5     Visual aids

13.6     Motion sensing system

13.7     Exemptions

 

Chapter 14 – Operations

 

14.1     Operating manuals

14.2     Helicopter facilities

14.3     Material safety data sheets

14.4     Dangerous goods

14.5     Pollution prevention

14.6     Transfer of material, equipment or personnel

14.7     Diving systems

14.8     Safety of navigation

14.9     Emergency procedures

14.10   Emergency instructions

14.11   Training manual and onboard training aids

14.12   Practice musters and drills

14.13   Onboard training and instructions

14.14   Records

 

Appendix

 

Model form of Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Safety Certificate (2009)

 

 

PREAMBLE

 

1          This Code has been developed to provide an international standard for mobile offshore drilling units of new construction which will facilitate the international movement and operation of these units and ensure a level of safety for such units, and for personnel on board, equivalent to that required by the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended, and the Protocol of 1988 relating to the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966, for conventional ships engaged on international voyages. It is not intended that the provisions of the Code of Safety for Special Purpose Ships be applied in addition to the provisions of this Code.

 

2          Throughout the development of the Code, it was recognized that it must be based upon sound design and engineering principles and experience gained from operating such units; it was further recognized that design technology of mobile offshore drilling units is not only a complex technology but is continually evolving and that the Code should not remain static but be re-evaluated and revised as necessary. To this end the Organization will periodically review the Code, taking into account both experience and future development.

 

3          Any existing unit which complies with the provisions of this Code should be considered eligible for issuance of a certificate in accordance with this Code.

 

4          This Code is not intended to prohibit the use of an existing unit simply because its design, construction and equipment do not conform to this Code. Many existing mobile offshore drilling units have operated successfully and safely for extended periods of time and their operating history should be considered in evaluating their suitability to conduct international operations.

 

5          The coastal State may permit any unit designed to a lower standard than that of the Code to engage in operations having taken account of the local conditions (e.g., meteorological and oceanographic). Any such unit should, however, comply with safety requirements which in the opinion of the coastal State are adequate for the intended operation and ensure the overall safety of the unit and the personnel on board.

 

6          This Code does not include requirements for the drilling of subsea wells or the procedures for their control. Such drilling operations are subject to control by the coastal State.

 

 

CHAPTER 1

GENERAL

 

1.1       Purpose

 

The purpose of the Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units, 2009, hereinafter referred to as "the Code", is to recommend design criteria, construction standards and other safety measures for mobile offshore drilling units so as to minimize the risk to such units, to the personnel on board and to the environment.

 

1.2       Application

 

1.2.1    The Code applies to mobile offshore drilling units as defined in section 1.3, the keels of which are laid or which are at a similar stage of construction on or after 1 January 2012.

 

1.2.2    The coastal State may impose additional requirements regarding the operation of industrial systems not dealt with by the Code.

 

1.3       Definitions

 

For the purpose of the Code, unless expressly provided otherwise, the terms used therein have the meanings defined in this section.

 

1.3.1    1988 LL Protocol means the Protocol of 1988 relating to the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966, as amended.

 

1.3.2    "A" class divisions are as defined in SOLAS regulation II-2/3.

 

1.3.3    Accommodation spaces are those used for public spaces, corridors, lavatories, cabins, offices, hospitals, cinemas, games and hobbies rooms, pantries containing no cooking appliances and similar spaces. Public spaces are those portions of the accommodation which are used for halls, dining rooms, lounges and similar permanently enclosed spaces.

 

1.3.4    Administration means the Government of the State whose flag the unit is entitled to fly.

 

1.3.5    Anniversary date means the day and month of each year which will correspond to the date of expiry of the certificate.

 

1.3.6    Auxiliary steering gear is the equipment which is provided for effecting movement of the rudder for the purpose of steering the unit in the event of failure of the main steering gear.

 

1.3.7    "B" class divisions are as defined in SOLAS regulation II-2/3.

 

1.3.8    "C" class divisions are as defined in SOLAS regulation II-2/3.

 

1.3.9    Certificate means Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Safety Certificate.

 

1.3.10  Coastal State means the Government of the State exercising administrative control over the drilling operations of the unit.

 

1.3.11  Column-stabilized unit is a unit with the main deck connected to the underwater hull or footings by columns or caissons.

 

1.3.12  Continuous "B" class ceilings or linings are those "B" class ceilings or linings which terminate only at an "A" or "B" class division.

 

1.3.13  Control stations are those spaces in which the unit’s radio or main navigating equipment or the emergency source of power is located or where the fire recording or fire control equipment or the dynamic positioning control system is centralized or where a fire-extinguishing system serving various locations is situated. In the case of column-stabilized units a centralized ballast control station is a "control station". However, for purposes of the application of chapter 9, the space where the emergency source of power is located is not considered as being a control station.

 

1.3.14  D or D-value means the largest dimension of the helicopter when rotor(s) are turning measured from the most forward position of the main rotor tip path plane to the most rearward position of the tail rotor path plane or helicopter structure.

 

1.3.15  Dead ship condition is the condition under which the main propulsion plant, boilers and auxiliaries are not in operation due to the absence of power.

 

1.3.16  Depth for freeboard has the same meaning as defined in regulation 3 of the 1988 LL Protocol.

 

1.3.17  Diving system is the plant and equipment necessary for the safe conduct of diving operations from a mobile offshore drilling unit.

 

1.3.18  Downflooding means any flooding of the interior of any part of the buoyant structure of a unit through openings which cannot be closed watertight or weathertight, as appropriate, in order to meet the intact or damage stability criteria, or which are required for operational reasons to be left open.

 

1.3.19  Emergency source of electrical power is a source of electrical power intended to supply the necessary services in the event of failure of the main source of electrical power.

 

1.3.20  Emergency switchboard is a switchboard which, in the event of failure of the main system of electrical power supply, is directly supplied by the emergency source of electrical power and/or the transitional source of emergency power and is intended to distribute electrical energy to the emergency services.

 

1.3.21  Enclosed spaces are spaces delineated by floors, bulkheads and/or decks which may have doors or windows.

 

1.3.22  Freeboard is the distance measured vertically downwards amidships from the upper edge of the deck line to the upper edge of the related load line.

 

1.3.23  FSS Code means the International Code for Fire Safety Systems, adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee of the Organization by resolution MSC.98(73), as amended.

 

1.3.24  FTP Code means the International Code for Application of Fire Test Procedures, adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee of the Organization by resolution MSC.61(67), as amended.

 

1.3.25  Gastight door is a solid, close-fitting door designed to resist the passage of gas under normal atmospheric conditions.

 

1.3.26  Hazardous areas are all those areas where, due to the possible presence of a flammable atmosphere arising from the drilling operations, the use without proper consideration of machinery or electrical equipment may lead to fire hazard or explosion.

 

1.3.27  Helideck is a purpose-built helicopter landing platform located on a mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU).

 

1.3.28  Industrial machinery and components are the machinery and components which are used in connection with the drilling operation.

 

1.3.29  Length (L) has the same meaning as defined in regulation 3 of the 1988 LL Protocol.

 

1.3.30  Lightweight is the displacement of a unit in tonnes without variable deck load, fuel, lubricating oil, ballast water, fresh water and feedwater in tanks, consumable stores, and personnel and their effects.

 

1.3.31  Low-flame spread has the same meaning as defined in SOLAS regulation II-2/3.

 

1.3.32  LSA Code means the International Life-Saving Appliance Code, adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee of the Organization by resolution MSC.48(66), as amended.

 

1.3.33  Machinery spaces are all machinery spaces of category A and all other spaces containing propelling machinery, boilers and other fired processes, oil fuel units, steam and internal combustion engines, generators and major electrical machinery, oil filling stations, refrigerating, stabilizing, ventilation and air-conditioning machinery and similar spaces; and trunks to such spaces.

 

1.3.34  Machinery spaces of category A are all spaces which contain internal combustion-type machinery used either:

 

.1        for main propulsion; or

 

.2        for other purposes where such machinery has in the aggregate a total power of not less than 375 kW;

 

or which contain any oil-fired boiler or oil fuel unit; and trunks to such spaces.

 

1.3.35  Main source of electrical power is a source intended to supply electrical power for all services necessary for maintaining the unit in normal operational and habitable conditions.

 

1.3.36  Main steering gear is the machinery, the steering gear power units, if any, and ancillary equipment and the means of applying torque to the rudder stock, e.g. tiller or quadrant, necessary for effecting movement of the rudder for the purpose of steering the unit under normal service conditions.

 

1.3.37  Main switchboard is a switchboard directly supplied by the main source of electrical power and intended to distribute electrical energy to the unit’s services.

 

1.3.38  Maximum ahead service speed is the greatest speed which the unit is designed to maintain in service at sea at its deepest seagoing draught.

 

1.3.39  Maximum astern speed is the speed which it is estimated the unit can attain at the designed maximum astern power at its deepest seagoing draught.

 

1.3.40  Mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) or unit is a vessel capable of engaging in drilling operations for the exploration for or exploitation of resources beneath the seabed such as liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons, sulphur or salt.

 

1.3.41  Mode of operation means a condition or manner in which a unit may operate or function while on location or in transit. The modes of operation of a unit include the following:

 

.1        Operating conditions – conditions wherein a unit is on location for the purpose of conducting drilling operations, and combined environmental and operational loadings are within the appropriate design limits established for such operations. The unit may be either afloat or supported on the seabed, as applicable.

 

.2        Severe storm conditions – conditions wherein a unit may be subjected to the most severe environmental loading for which the unit is designed. Drilling operations are assumed to have been discontinued due to the severity of the environmental loading. The unit may be either afloat or supported on the seabed, as applicable.

 

.3        Transit conditions – conditions wherein a unit is moving from one geographical location to another.

 

1.3.42  Non-combustible material has the same meaning as defined in SOLAS regulation II-2/3.

 

1.3.43  Normal operational and habitable conditions means:

 

.1        conditions under which the unit as a whole, its machinery, services, means and aids ensuring safe navigation when underway, safety when in the industrial mode, fire and flooding safety, internal and external communications and signals, means of escape and winches for rescue boats, as well as the means of ensuring the minimum