Norsok Standard N-002: Edition 2, October 2010
Norsok Standard N-002: Edition 2, October 2010
This NORSOK standard is developed with broad petroleum industry participation by interested parties in the
Norwegian petroleum industry and is owned by the Norwegian petroleum industry represented by The Norwegian
Oil Industry Association (OLF) and The Federation of Norwegian Industry. Please note that whilst every effort has
been made to ensure the accuracy of this NORSOK standard, neither OLF nor The Federation of Norwegian
Industry or any of their members will assume liability for any use thereof. Standards Norway is responsible for the
administration and publication of this NORSOK standard.
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Provided by Standard Online AS for HestadAS 2015-02-13
NORSOK standard N-002 Edition 2, October 2010
Foreword 4
Introduction 4
1 Scope 5
2 Normative and informative references 5
2.1 Normative references 5
2.2 Informative references 5
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations 5
3.1 Terms and definitions 5
3.2 Abbreviations 6
4 Common requirements 6
4.1 General 6
4.2 Instrumentation 6
5 Meteorology 7
5.1 General 7
5.2 Weather observation and reporting for helicopter operations 7
5.3 Weather observation and reporting for weather forecasting services 8
5.4 Weather observation and reporting for climatologically purposes 8
5.5 Weather observation and reporting for operational needs 8
6 Oceanography 9
6.1 General 9
6.2 Measurements and observations 9
7 Data quality control 9
Foreword
The NORSOK standards are developed by the Norwegian petroleum industry to ensure adequate safety,
value adding and cost effectiveness for petroleum industry developments and operations. Furthermore,
NORSOK standards are, as far as possible, intended to replace oil company specifications and serve as
references in the authorities’ regulations.
The NORSOK standards are normally based on recognised international standards, adding the provisions
deemed necessary to fill the broad needs of the Norwegian petroleum industry. Where relevant, NORSOK
standards will be used to provide the Norwegian industry input to the international standardisation process.
Subject to development and publication of international standards, the relevant NORSOK standard will be
withdrawn.
The NORSOK standards are developed according to the consensus principle generally applicable for most
standards work and according to established procedures defined in NORSOK A-001.
The NORSOK standards are prepared and published with support by The Norwegian Oil Industry
Association (OLF), The Federation of Norwegian Industry, Norwegian Shipowners’ Association and The
Petroleum Safety Authority Norway.
Introduction
This NORSOK standard is intended as an initial reference for offshore operators when planning metocean
monitoring equipment on offshore installations. It covers both statutory requirements and operator’s own
requirements, spanning applications such as weather forecasting, climate statistics, helicopter traffic,
tanker loading, marine operations etc.
The collection of metocean data is normally the result of requirements imposed by PSA or other authority,
and the operator’s own needs. When specifying a metocean data collection system, this standard shall be
supplemented by a list stating which requirements to fulfil. This NORSOK standard contains the necessary
information for the requirements normally imposed by PSA, and a check-list to identify operator’s own
needs.
1 Scope
This NORSOK standard presents functional requirements and common principles for the collection of
metocean data, i.e. meteorological and oceanographic data.
NOTE The WMO is the major international reference on many of the topics discussed herein. The technical documentation of
WMO is extensive; therefore this standard makes specific references to relevant parts of WMO documentation. Furthermore, NMI
has accepted the responsibility to provide easy access to updated versions of the WMO publications referenced herein.
NOTE The following handbooks (in Norwegian only) (distributed by NMI) are standard equipment at all observing stations:
• NMI: Meteorologisk Kode, SHIP, Maritime stasjoner
• NMI: Meteorologiske koder for flyværtjenesten
• NMI: Veiledning for meteorologiske målinger offshore
3.1.2
should
verbal form used to indicate that among several possibilities one is recommended as particularly suitable,
without mentioning or excluding others, or that a certain course of action is preferred but not necessarily
required
3.1.3
may
verbal form used to indicate a course of action permissible within the limits of this NORSOK standard
3.1.4
can
verbal form used for statements of possibility and capability, whether material, physical or casual
3.2 Abbreviations
BSL bestemmelser for sivil luftfart
CTD conductivity-temperature-depth sensor
FM 13-XII Ext. SHIP Format description of the report SHIP
FM 15-XIII Ext. METAR Format description of the report METAR
FM 16-XIII Ext. SPECI Format description of he report SPECI
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization
METAR aviation routine weather report
metocean meteorological and oceanographic
MOB man over board
MOR meteorological optical range
NMI Norwegian Meteorological Institute
PSA Petroleum Safety Authority – Norway
4 Common requirements
4.1 General
Procedures, which ensure the proper functioning of the measuring and recording system, described in this
NORSOK standard as well as instrument accuracy and calibration, shall be established and maintained.
Qualified personnel shall carry out observations, select, install, check and maintain the equipment and
repair any faults or malfunctions. Service and calibration interval on equipment shall be maximum one
year. When new types of instruments are introduced, a notification shall be given to all regular receivers of
data.
Time references given in UTC shall be recorded together with the measured data or derived parameters.
The time reference should not be dependent on manual setting following a possible stop in operation of the
system. Local user interfaces should show both UTC and local time, clearly marked.
4.2 Instrumentation
The accuracy, range, type and location of the instruments should be determined with due regard to the
purpose of the recordings.
The required measurement uncertainty of metocean recordings should be chosen in accordance with
Annex A.
5 Meteorology
5.1 General
Details on instrument accuracy and calibration are found in WMO-No. 8.
Part I - Measurement of Meteorological Variables
Part III - Chapter 4 Testing, Calibration and Intercomparison
Data that cannot be measured by means of instruments shall be obtained by observation by qualified
observers. Observers shall have completed relevant training at NMI, or an equivalent course. During the
first year of active observation duty, a refresher/repetition course shall be completed.
A complete aviation routine weather report is specified in WMO-No. 306, under code FM 15-XIII Ext.
METAR. The message consists of information derived from instrumental measurements and manual
observations taken by a qualified observer, see 5.1. The parameters included are
• wind direction,
The wind measurements from the top of derrick are normally not representative for the wind field at the
helicopter deck. A separate wind sensor shall be installed near the helideck to measure values
representative for the wind field at the helicopter deck. This requirement may be waived if it can be clearly
demonstrated that this is not necessary.
Experience has shown that this is best achieved if the location of the wind sensor is selected to minimize
the influence from the construction itself, e.g. living quarters, cranes etc. This means that top of derrick or
mast is the best choice in most cases.
The measurement of these parameters does not replace the need for an easily perceptible wind cone.
The observations shall be recorded in accordance with WMO-No. 306, Section A, pp 25-36.
In addition to METAR, a code for special reports is specified in WMO-No. 306, under code FM 16-XIII Ext.
SPECI.
The criteria for, and frequency of, issue of METARs and SPECIs is the responsibility of the relevant
aviation regulations. International recommendations may be found in WMO-No. 842 (Chapter 4).
• wind direction,
• wind speed,
• air pressure,
• air temperature,
• sea surface temperature,
• humidity,
• wave height,
• wave period,
• clouds,
• visibility (MOR),
• weather,
• icing.
Observations shall be made at standard synoptic hours, expressed in terms of UTC, at which, by
international agreement, meteorological observations are made simultaneously throughout the globe.
Standard synoptic hours are 00, 03, ... 21 UTC. The observations shall be recorded in accordance with
WMO-No. 306, under code FM 13-XII Ext. SHIP (Section A, pp. 7-24).
5.4.1 General
There is presently no WMO or other internationally recognised format for this sort of data. A flexible format
in extensive use in Norwegian waters is documented in NMI, 1997. The development and documentation
of this format (according to user requirements) is the responsibility of NMI, and this format should be used
for delivery of climatologic data to NMI.
The data should be presented in such a way as to allow other users to carry out extreme value analyses
without having to resort to the original unprocessed data, for instance by presenting frequency tables
including cumulative distributions for the year being reported upon as well as for the total data set if it
consists of multiple years.
The metocean parameters should preferably be selected from the parameter lists in 5.2 and 5.3. If these
parameters do not meet the operator’s need, a specific reference to relevant WMO, or other available
publication, should be established. Requirements for sensor location should be given.
6 Oceanography
6.1 General
In the context of this NORSOK standard, the term oceanography shall mean
NOTE Ocean waves and sea surface temperature are defined as part of meteorology, and covered
in Clause 5.
Apart from ocean currents and water level, the measurements and observation of oceanographic
parameters are not commonly included in platform metocean systems. The operator shall, however,
consider his own need for collecting such data contingent upon the natural conditions at the location, the
inadequacy of the data basis, the type of structure or installation, and the operational situation of the
facility. A check-list is given in Annex B.
For measurements in deeper waters, the following depths should be considered in addition to near surface
and near bottom: 50 m, 100 m, 150 m, 200 m, 300 m and every 200 m to 3 m above the seabed.
The mean speed and direction of ocean currents shall be recorded at least once per hour. Measurements
of sea temperature and salinity should be performed as an integrated activity. If Nansen bottles or similar
equipment are used, data should be recorded at standard depths: 0 m, 5 m, 10 m, 20 m, 30 m, 50 m, 75
m, 100 m, 125 m, 150 m, 200 m, 250 m, 300 m, 400 m, 500 m, 600 m, 800 m etc.
If a CTD is used for measuring temperature and salinity, data should be stored for at least every 0,5 bar.
Oxygen content, if required, should be measured at a subset of the temperature/salinity depths given
above. However, the number of depths may be considerably reduced.
The observation of sea ice and icebergs (size and drift), can be performed by combining e.g. manual
observations, instrument recordings and remote sensing.
Recorded data together with a report concerning data quality should be submitted to NMI within a month
after the completion of the recording period. The recording period should typically be one month. The data
shall be submitted by way of a computer readable medium in an agreed format. Necessary documentation
shall accompany the data.
Annex A
(informative)
Table A.1 is based on the very similar table presented in Annex 1.B, pp 19-24, chapter 1 of WMO-No. 8. A system built according to these
recommendations will fulfil the requirements set by NMI and PSA.
1. Temperature Operational
-40 to +40 °C 0,1 °K I 0,1 °K 20 s 1 min 0,2 °K
1.1 Air temperature performance and
1.2 Extremes of air effective time
-40 to +40 °C 0,1 °K I 0,1 °K 20 s 1 min 0,2 °K constant may be
temperature
1.3 Sea-surface affected by the
temperature design of
-2 to +40 °C 0,1 °K I 0,1 °K 20 s 1 min 0,2 °K thermometer solar
radiation screen.
humidity
depen-
dence.
Accuracy difficult to
4.2 Height of cloud determine since no
base 10 m for 100 m ≈10 m definition exists for
0 m to 30 km 10 m I 10 % for >100 m n/a repeatability instrumentally
measured cloud base
height.
5.3 Gusts 0 to 75 m/s 0,1 m/s A 10 % 3s 0,5 m/s for 5 m/s Highest 3 s average
10 % for > 5 m/s should be recorded.
6. Visibility < 50 m to 70 10 m I 50 m for 500 m < 30 s 1 and 10 The larger of Achievable
6.1 MOR km 10 % for >500 m min 20 m or 20 % instrumental
1500 m accuracy may depend
20 % > 1500 m on the cause of
obscuration. Quantity
to be averaged:
extinction coefficient
7.3.1 Shall be
1-D spectral 2 -1 sufficient to
0,1 m Hz I
density achieve 7.4
requirements
.
0,035 to 0,3
Frequency < 0,01 Hz
Hz
1
7.3.2 0,1 m2Hz-
2-D spectral rad-1 Shall be
sufficient to
density
achieve 7.4
requirements.
0,035 to 0,3
Frequency < 0,01 Hz
Hz
Direction 0 to 360 ° 10 º (see 2-D spectrum may be
remark) based on
parameterized
directional distribution
and reported as
direction and spread
parameters.
12 Oxygen
0 to 15 ml/l 0,1 ml/l I ±5 % 0,5 s 1s ±5 %
NOTES
Annex B
(informative)
Application Comments
Bridge and flotel disengagement
Crane operations Wind and waves (or heave on a ship) do have an impact
on safety margins for crane operations.
Installation Wind and wave data are usually needed for setting deck
and modules, and currents can be important for running
risers and stabbing tension leg platform tendons.
Diving operations May depend on a number of metocean parameters.
Evacuation Meteorological and oceanographic data is vital for
decisions regarding time of evacuation and selection of
evacuation means.
Maintenance Maintenance operations, especially outdoor work above
open sea, are often subject to restrictions on weather and
sea state.
Marine operations Various marine operations need reliable metocean
information
Production shut-down May depend on a number of metocean parameters, mainly
waves and wind