Overview
ISO 13628-1:2025 - Oil and gas industries including low carbon energy - Design and operation of subsea production systems - Part 1: General requirements and recommendations - provides high-level requirements and guidance for the development, operation and decommissioning of subsea production and injection systems (SPS). The third edition (2025) replaces the 2005 edition, has been fully rewritten and is technically equivalent to API RP 17A (6th edition). It addresses the full SPS lifecycle from concept development through commissioning, operations, intervention and abandonment, while noting that flowlines/pipelines and production/injection risers are generally covered in separate documents (API 17-series).
Key topics and requirements
This standard organizes practical guidance across systems, equipment and lifecycle activities. Major technical topics include:
- Subsea production system overview and configurations - definitions, system-level scope and relation to API 17-series documents.
- Systems engineering - processes for requirements capture, production assurance and reliability management.
- Equipment design requirements - design basis, safety strategy, safety-by-design principles, barrier philosophy and isolation requirements.
- Materials and structural analysis - material selection, structural evaluation for wellheads, trees and riser systems.
- Pumps, piping, valves and mechanical components - guidance on design considerations and loads (including dropped-object and fishing-gear loads).
- Testing and verification - factory acceptance tests (FAT), inspection and test plans, commissioning/systems completion.
- Manufacture, installation and commissioning - assembly, transportation, load-out and installation guidance.
- Operations and integrity management - condition monitoring, reliability data collection, subsea maintenance and production management.
- Well intervention and decommissioning guidance - operational planning for interventions and end-of-life abandonment.
- Technology and obsolescence management - technology qualification and lifecycle maintenance.
The document also includes terminology, normative references, informative Annex on systems engineering processes and a bibliography.
Practical applications and who uses it
ISO 13628-1:2025 is intended for organizations involved in subsea oil, gas and low-carbon energy production. Primary users include:
- Subsea system designers and engineering contractors
- Offshore operators and asset owners planning SPS projects
- OEMs supplying wellheads, trees, manifolds, connectors and pumps
- Project managers, integrity engineers and maintenance planners
- Consultancy and regulatory teams aligning to international best practice
Use cases: concept definition, design basis development, safety and barrier strategy, procurement specifications, FAT and commissioning protocols, operations integrity programs, and decommissioning planning.
Related standards
- API RP 17A (technical equivalence noted)
- API 17-series (flexible pipe and flowline guidance)
- Other parts of ISO 13628 series (detailed component and system guidance)
Keywords: ISO 13628-1:2025, subsea production systems, SPS design and operation, subsea systems engineering, barrier philosophy, subsea integrity management, API RP 17A.