HM 86. Guidelines for measurement of crude oil loaded at offshore installations

The loading of crude oil cargoes on ships offshore (i.e. not alongside a berth) has been a relatively common activity for some years, particularly for lightering. However, this type of operation has become much more common with the development of many floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO), floating storage and offloading (FSO), and floating storage unit (FSU) facilities – referred to in this document as offshore installations.

Unlike lightering, loadings from these facilities are often custody transfer operations, where accurate measurement and sampling are critical.