State of Practice: Offshore Geotechnics throughout the Life of an Oil and Gas Field

The paper describes selected offshore geotechnical practices, from geohazards assessment in the early stages of a project, to the design of shallow and deep foundations, with a focus on deepwater applications and conventional siliceous sediments. The past and current recommendations of API and ISO are summarized and their differences are highlighted. The use of total and effective stress pile design methods is explored and recent developments in the design of piles in sands are discussed. Last, observations and lessons learned from the performance of offshore foundations during hurricanes are presented. In summary, worldwide industry design practices are broadly aligned through the use of API and ISO standards. Nevertheless, unusual or difficult basin-specific soil conditions require modified design approaches and foundation solutions.