This recommended practice provides guidelines for the design, materials selection, analysis, testing, manufacture, handling, transportation, installation and integrity management of ancillary equipment for flexible pipes and umbilicals. It presents the current best practice for design and procurement of ancillary equipment, and gives guidance on the implementation of the specification for standard ancillary products. In addition, this document presents guidelines on the qualification of prototype products.

The applicability relating to a specific item of ancillary equipment within this recommended practice is stated at the beginning of the clause dedicated to that item of ancillary equipment. This document applies to the following flexible pipe ancillary equipment: bend stiffeners; bend restrictors; bellmouths; buoyancy modules and ballast modules; subsea buoys; tethers for subsea buoys and tether clamps; riser and tether bases; clamping devices; piggy-back clamps; repair clamps; I/J-tube seals; pull-in heads/installation aids; connectors; load-transfer devices; mechanical protection; fire protection; and VIV suppression strakes.

This document may be used for bonded flexible pipe ancillary equipment, though any requirements specific to these applications are not addressed. Where relevant, the applicability of recommendations to umbilicals is indicated in the Applicability subclause for the ancillary equipment in question. This document does not cover ancillary equipment for flexible pipes and umbilicals beyond the connector, with the exception of riser bases and load-transfer devices. Therefore this document does not cover turret structures or I-tubes and J-tubes, for example. In addition, it does not cover flexible pipe or umbilical storage devices, for example reels.

This recommended practice is intended to cover ancillary equipment made from several material types, including metallic, polymer and composite materials. It may also refer to material types for particular ancillary components that are not commonly used for such components currently, but may be adopted in the future.