The development of international standards for composite piping systems that are used in the Marine and Offshore Oil & Gas Industries is a recognized customer need. These industries are global in nature. It is not uncommon to see project specifications written in London and Houston, fabrication of the vessel hull in a Korean yard, topsides construction in Indonesia and project location off the coast of West Africa. Operator supplied specifications could come from The Netherlands, France, Norway as well as numerous other countries. In addition, certifying agencies such as ABS, Lloyds or DNV could be involved that must follow international maritime rules and regulations. A concerted effort has been made within the past five years to address these issues. Operators worldwide have come together with composite pipe manufacturers, engineering firms and certifying agencies to develop international standards that address these issues. Anyone considering the use of composite piping in the Marine and/or Offshore Oil & Gas Industries should consider the ASTM and ISO Standards that are in the final stages of development. ASTMF-1173 Rewrite is a purchasing document that is being balloted at the present time. It was developed by ASTM F25.13.03 workgroup. ISO WD 15840 is the international version of ASTM F-1173 Rewrite. It has been circulated to the international community for comments. It was developed by ISO/TC8/SC3/WG4. ISO WD 14692 is a rewrite of original United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) document that was adopted in March 1994. It has been circulated to the international community for comments and is in it’s final stage of development. It was developed by ISO/TC 67/SC 6/WG 5. This document is an engineering specification and recommended practice document. When finalized and passed by the various committees ISO 15840 and ISO 14692 should be used in conjunction with each other. They are compatible documents based on performance criteria. It is the opinion of many who have been in the composite pipe business for over 20 years that these are the most important documents ever developed by our industry. They are grossly overdue. However, while standards are a recognized customer need, standards that are not fully understood by operators, piping engineers and installation teams can be dangerous and misinterpreted. Knowledge of the unique properties of composite materials must be a perquisite to those using these standards. Standards that are not fully understood in the hands of the uneducated is a formula for disaster.

Trinidad and Tobago has the oldest petroleum industry in the world. The activities of this industry have historically impacted the environment and newly drafted environmental rules and regulations of Trinidad and Tobago will require sound environmental management systems by all operating companies in the industry. In order to meet the challenges of these new regulations, the Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (Petrotrin) is currently pursuing the development and implementation of an Environmental Management System within its Exploration and Production operations in accordance with the ISO 14001 Standard. This project was initiated in October 1999, and is expected to terminate in December 2001 with international certification. Petrotrin, realizing the competitive advantages that can result from the integration of an Environmental Management System into its operating systems, has placed the implementation of the EMS as a company strategic goal. The project was categorized into three main stages: Development, Implementation and Audit/Certification. To date, the Development Stage has been completed and the implementation stage initiated, with the following successes: • Allocation of manpower resources in the formation of the Steering and Executive Management Committees, and an EMS Project Team; • Training of project personnel in ISO 14001/10/11/12 Standards; • Revision of the company Environmental Policy statement; • Conducting the Gap Analysis Study; • Development of the Implementation Plan based on the results of the Gap Analysis; • Initiated the development of the EMS manual and drafted initial procedures as outlined in the Implementation Plan; • Collection and analysis of data for identification of Significant Environmental Aspects and impacts for Exploration and Production activities. The Development and Implementation of an Environmental Management System in accordance with the world renowned ISO 14001 is expected to derive many benefits to Petrotrin such as reduced operating costs, improved financial performance, increased access to markets, improved environmental performance, improved community relations, improved customer relations and employee involvement and education.

3D Seismic survey of an area approximately 70km 2 was conducted in South-East Central Trinidad in the Naparima Mayaro Reserve from January to July 1999. This activity was done with the expectation of drilling exploratory wells for finding commercially viable oil reservoirs as a joint venture operation between Vintage Petroleum Trinidad Limited (formerly Cometra Energy (Canada) Limited) and Petrotrin. The companies initiated a number of proactive Environmental Management Programmes to comply with both local and international regulations. These programmes include: • Preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment Study for Seismic Survey of a 70km 2 area. • Environmental Baseline Survey for Seismic Survey inclusive of descriptions of physical, biological and socioeconomic environments, environmental audits, training and monitoring (noise and water quality). • Environmental Impact Assessment for drilling of exploratory well. • Development of Oil Spill Contingency Plan for drilling operations. The implementation of these studies resulted in a number of benefits to the joint venture oil companies, such as: • 100% compliance with Certificate of Environment Clearance Rules and International Association of Geophysical Contractors (IAGC) Guidelines. • Improved corporate image. • Enhanced relationship with Government Agencies. • Improved environmental performance through proper planning. • Trained and empowered workforce in environmental management issues. • Zero oil spills and environmental incidents to date.

The new regulations, Part 195 Section 195.452, require that special integrity assessments be made to address potential seam-defect problems in low-frequency-welded ERW (electric-resistance-welded) pipe materials where a failure of such materials could have an impact on a high-consequence area (HCA). The spirit of this requirement appears to require action if, and only if, significant seam-related deficiencies are in evidence or if they can be reasonably anticipated. This leaves open the option of categorizing these types of pipelines by performance such that potentially problematic pipeline segments can be subjected to special (i.e., seam-quality) inspections while those that show little or no propensity for such problems can be subjected to metal loss and deformation inspections only. This document is intended to establish a systematic procedure to permit an operator to characterize the relevant ERW pipe segments as to the likelihood of significant seam-related deficiencies. The author is particularly grateful to Rich Turley of Marathon Ashland Pipe Line LLC for helping to formulate the essential steps in deciding when an integrity assessment is needed. Rich made significant inputs to Figure 1 of this document.

Firstly, the main regulatory characteristics of the Brazilian petroleum and natural gas industry are presented, with emphasis in the oil refining segment. Secondly, it is stood out the binomial “technical standards” versus “regulation acts.” It is worth to point out that the last ones are compulsory and they can be written considering technical standards as a basis. Finally, it is outlined the Brazilian Petroleum National Agency strategy for elaboration of refinery regulations, focusing on the adopted prescriptions for environment damage prevention and protection.

Reports from onshore E & P activities in Nigeria have shown that operating in the Niger Delta region poses some of the toughest challenges in the world. This region has witnessed a spate of attacks on oil and gas facilities, staff and contractors. Consequently, major oil and gas players have to contend with complex operational uncertainties due to increase pressure from the local communities for improved environmental control measures. To effectively de-risk this region of this category of operational uncertainties, the industry must begin to see environmental performance as not only a measure of how well she can comply with existing environmental regulations, but also as a measure of how well she can pre-empt environmental pressures as well as maintain constant harmony with all concerned stakeholders and seeing herself as responsible to the environment with a view to improve performance. In this project, we have been able to develop SMART * models based on continuous consultation, integrated management approach and continuos improvement attitude (CIA). With a good FOCUS * approach, this will help in safe and effective operations, pre-empt pressures, maintain harmony with local communities and effectively manage operational disturbances within complex environmental settings like the Nigerian Niger Delta area. Finally, we are of the opinion that every industry that seeks to remain efficient and relevant in this millennium should constantly be looking for ways of becoming more environmentally responsible — because no business can call itself efficient if it threatens the environment within which it operates. • SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Bond. • FOCUS is an acronym for Fair, Objective, Consistent, Unbiased and Succinct.