EN ISO 13702:2024 (ISO 13702:2024) sets out objectives, functional requirements and guidance for the control and mitigation of fires and explosions on offshore production installations. The standard’s primary objectives are safety of personnel, protection of the environment, protection of assets, and minimization of financial and consequential losses from fire and explosion events. It applies to fixed offshore structures and floating systems for production, storage and offloading. Mobile offshore units and subsea installations are excluded, although many principles are applicable as guidance.
Keywords: ISO 13702, offshore fire safety, fire and explosion mitigation, offshore production installations, offshore safety standard.
Key topics and technical requirements
The standard provides a comprehensive framework covering risk management, design, operation and maintenance for offshore fire and explosion control. Major technical topics include:
- Fire and explosion risk assessment and management - requirements for management systems, hazard identification, risk analysis, evaluation and treatment.
- Installation layout - functional requirements to reduce escalation and aid evacuation and fire-fighting.
- Emergency shutdown (ESD) and blowdown - objectives and functional provisions to limit releases and ignition sources.
- Control of ignition and spills - strategies to prevent ignition and to manage hydrocarbon releases.
- Emergency power systems - reliability and performance expectations for safety-critical power.
- Fire and gas (F&G) detection systems - detection objectives, performance and functional requirements.
- Active fire protection - fixed suppression systems, deluge, foam and other suppression principles (functional requirements).
- Passive fire protection - structural fire resistance, compartmentation and fire-stopping measures.
- Explosion mitigation and protection - design considerations to limit overpressure and structural damage.
- Response, inspection, testing and maintenance - operational readiness, testing regimes and lifecycle maintenance to ensure continued effectiveness.
- Annexes providing typical hazardous events, guidelines and design examples for large integrated offshore installations.
Practical applications and who uses this standard
ISO 13702 is essential for:
- Offshore platform owners/operators and FPSO operators
- Offshore and process safety engineers and designers
- Classification societies and regulatory bodies
- HSE managers, emergency response planners and maintenance teams
- Contractors supplying fire & gas detection, suppression and ESD systems
Use cases include design reviews, safety case development, mitigation strategy definition, procurement specifications and operational procedures for offshore fire safety.
Related standards and guidance
- Prepared by ISO/TC 67 in collaboration with CEN/TC 12; this edition supersedes EN ISO 13702:2015.
- Includes informative annexes (A, B, C) with hazardous event examples and design guidance.
- Complementary to other offshore safety and process safety standards and management-system guidance; obtain full text from ISO or national standards bodies.
For compliance, specification writing and design validation, reference ISO 13702:2024 as part of an integrated offshore fire and explosion mitigation program.
