New ASTM International Standard Supports Safety of Offshore Crews

ASTM International’s committee on ships and marine technology (F25) has approved the first standard for vessels designed to accommodate construction crews working on offshore projects. The new standard aims to address the wide range of quality and safety of such vessels.

“Developing offshore energy and putting new assets into service requires accommodating many construction workers in the hostile and remote ocean environment,” says ASTM International member Charles Rawson, a naval architect with the U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of Design and Engineering Standards. “We want to make sure that workers receive reasonable protection from the hazard-filled environment in which they labor.”

The standard will soon be published as: Guide for Design, Construction and Operation of Vessels Providing Accommodation Service to Offshore Installations (F3257).

The guide will help those who build and operate ships to communicate features about crew safety and environmental protection, according to Rawson. At the same time, regulatory bodies could use demonstrations of compliance to the standard as evidence that a vessel is appropriate for its intended use and fit for service.

Rawson invites ship designers, builders, and operators who use the new standard to contact the committee with suggestions for future revisions.