Overview
ISO 13626:2003 - "Petroleum and natural gas industries - Drilling and production equipment - Drilling and well-servicing structures" specifies requirements and recommendations for steel derricks, portable masts and substructures used in drilling and well‑servicing operations. The standard provides a uniform method for rating structures, defines two product specification levels, and includes purchaser‑selectable supplementary requirements (Annex A). ISO 13626 is intended for all new designs of standard and special steel derricks, masts and supporting substructures.
Key topics and technical requirements
ISO 13626 organizes technical content to support safe design, manufacture and verification. Major topics include:
- Product specification levels and purchaser options (two levels + Annex A supplementary requirements).
- Marking and information requirements: nameplates and mandatory identification details for derricks, masts, substructures and crown block assemblies.
- Standard ratings and classification rules for different configurations (stationary derrick, masts with/without guy lines, substructures, dynamic conditions).
- Design loading: general load cases and specific loading conditions used for design (erection, wind, dynamic motion, seismic considerations).
- Design specification topics such as allowable stresses, wind effects, dynamic loading from floating hull motion, earthquake effects and design verification methods.
- Materials and welding: material specifications, mechanical properties, welding qualifications, post‑weld heat treatment and repair-weld controls.
- Quality control and testing: personnel qualifications, non‑destructive examination, dimensional verification, testing, traceability and purchaser inspection.
- Documentation: manufacturer and delivery documentation requirements, records to accompany equipment.
- Annex B provides example standard derrick configurations.
Practical applications
ISO 13626 is used to:
- Guide design engineers developing steel derricks, portable masts and substructures.
- Define manufacturing and welding controls for fabricators to ensure the required mechanical properties and NDE.
- Inform inspection and testing regimes for purchaser acceptance and in‑service verification.
- Support procurement and contract specifications so buyers can specify product levels and supplementary requirements.
- Aid regulators and operators in assessing compliance for onshore and offshore drilling and well‑servicing structures.
Who should use this standard
- Structural and mechanical engineers in the petroleum and natural gas industries
- Fabricators and welding supervisors producing derricks and masts
- Quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) personnel and NDE inspectors
- Procurement specialists and project managers specifying drilling structures
Related standards
ISO 13626 references and aligns with other industry documents such as ISO 9712, ISO 13535, ISO 10425, API and ASTM/AWS specifications (e.g., API 4F influence noted). These references govern NDE, hoisting equipment, wire rope, welding codes and material testing.