Offshore staff

HOUSTON -- Lloyd's Register North America Inc. has received authorization from the US Coast Guard (USCG) to review plans and conduct inspections on floating offshore installations (FOIs) in US waters, including the Gulf of Mexico outer continental shelf.

FOIs include a variety of oil and gas production system designs and facilities, including TLPs, semisubmersible, spars, and FPSOs.

The company now can assist oil and gas operators with their deepwater projects in the GoM. The authorization results in an expansion of Lloyd's current portfolio of services in Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.

According to Lloyd's, in the past, some floating offshore projects suffered expensive delays due to a shortage of authorized personnel involved with the approval process, creating backlogs for offshore operators with new projects.

"With our new authorization, operators in the GoM should benefit from fewer delays and lower costs for their deepwater projects, as well as a fresh set of eyes to identify and examine safety-critical elements on their assets," says Bill Westcott, VP of Lloyd's Register North America's Energy and Transportation division.

In 2005, Lloyd's was granted a similar authorization under the alternative compliance program to inspect US-flag mobile offshore drilling units. In granting the FOI authorization, the USCG cited Lloyd's experience and technical competence relating to offshore project developments.

02/07/2007