Standards for offshore helicopter landing areas

297 Pages·2017·5.61 MB·English

by  Symecko Anastasia

Safety Regulation Group

Standards for offshore helicopter landing areas

CAP 437
CAP 437
Published by the Civil Aviation Authority, 2016
Civil Aviation Authority,
Aviation House,
Gatwick Airport South,
West Sussex,
RH6 0YR.

You can copy and use this text but please ensure you always use the most up to date version and
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First published 1981
Second edition December 1993
Third edition October 1998
Fourth edition September 2002
Fifth edition August 2005
Sixth edition December 2008
Amendment 01/2010 April 2010
Amendment 02/2010 August 2010
Edition 7 May 2012
Amendment 01/2013 February 2013
Edition 8 December 2016
Amendment 01/2018 September 2018

Enquiries regarding the content of this publication should be addressed to:
[email protected]

Intelligence, Strategy & Policy, Safety & Airspace Regulation Group, Civil Aviation Authority, Aviation
House, Gatwick Airport South, West Sussex, RH6 0YR

The latest version of this document is available in electronic format at www.caa.co.uk
September 2018
CAP 437 Contents

Contents
Contents ..................................................................................................................... 1
Revision history ........................................................................................................ 10
Foreword .................................................................................................................. 14
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 14
General ............................................................................................................. 15
ICAO ................................................................................................................. 17
Helideck Licensing/Certification ........................................................................ 18
Glossary of terms and abbreviations ........................................................................ 21
................................................................................................................. 26
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 26
History of development of criteria for offshore helicopter landing areas, 1964-
1973 .................................................................................................................. 26
Department of Energy and the Health and Safety Executive guidance on the
design and construction of offshore installations, 1973 onwards ...................... 26
Applicability of standards in other cases .................................................... 30
Worldwide application ................................................................................ 31
................................................................................................................. 33
Helicopter performance considerations .................................................................... 33
General considerations ..................................................................................... 33
Safety philosophy .............................................................................................. 33
Factors affecting performance capability ........................................................... 34
................................................................................................................. 35
Helicopter landing areas – Physical characteristics ................................................. 35
General ............................................................................................................. 35
Helideck design considerations – Environmental effects................................... 36
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CAP 437 Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................ 36
Helideck design guidance .......................................................................... 38
Design criteria ............................................................................................ 39
Structural design ........................................................................................ 43
Loads ......................................................................................................... 45
Size and obstacle protected surfaces......................................................... 47
Temporary combined operations ....................................................................... 53
Multiple platform configurations/location of standby vessels ............................. 55
Surface ....................................................................................................... 56
Helicopter tie-down points .......................................................................... 62
Perimeter safety net ................................................................................... 64
Access points ............................................................................................. 65
Winching (hoist) operations ........................................................................ 66
Normally Unattended Installations (NUIs) .................................................. 67
Criteria for parking areas ............................................................................ 68
................................................................................................................. 71
Visual aids ................................................................................................................ 71
General ............................................................................................................. 71
Helideck landing area markings ........................................................................ 73
Lighting .............................................................................................................. 82
Perimeter lighting ....................................................................................... 83
Lit TD/PM circle and lit heliport identification ‘H’ marking and ancillary
floodlighting ................................................................................................ 84
Helideck status light system ....................................................................... 86
UPS requirement ........................................................................................ 88
Obstacles – Marking and lighting ...................................................................... 89

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CAP 437 Contents

................................................................................................................. 92
Helideck rescue and fire-fighting facilities ................................................................ 92
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 92
Key design characteristics – Principal agent ..................................................... 93
Use and maintenance of foam equipment ....................................................... 101
Complementary media ............................................................................. 101
Normally unattended installations ................................................................... 103
The management of extinguishing media stocks ............................................ 104
Rescue equipment .......................................................................................... 104
Personnel levels .............................................................................................. 105
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) ............................................................. 106
Training ........................................................................................................... 107
Emergency procedures ................................................................................... 107
............................................................................................................... 111
Miscellaneous operational standards ..................................................................... 111
Landing area height above water level ............................................................ 111
Wind direction (vessels) .................................................................................. 111
Helideck movement ......................................................................................... 111
Helideck motion reporting ......................................................................... 114
Meteorological information .............................................................................. 115
Meteorological observations ..................................................................... 115
Assessment of wind speed and direction ................................................. 116
Reporting of meteorological information ................................................... 116
Pre-flight weather reports ......................................................................... 117
Radio messages ...................................................................................... 118
Collection and retention of meteorological information ............................. 118
Real-time web-based systems ................................................................. 118
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CAP 437 Contents

Meteorological observer training .............................................................. 119
Calibration of meteorological equipment sensors ..................................... 119
Location in respect to other landing areas in the vicinity ................................. 119
Control of crane movement in the vicinity of landing areas ............................. 120
General precautions ........................................................................................ 120
Installation/Vessel helideck operations manual and general requirements ..... 121
Helicopter operations support equipment ........................................................ 121
............................................................................................................... 124
Helicopter fuelling facilities – Systems design and construction ............................. 124
General ........................................................................................................... 124
Product identification ....................................................................................... 125
Fuelling system description ...................................................................... 125
Design considerations ..................................................................................... 126
Static storage tanks .................................................................................. 127
Sample reclaim tank ................................................................................. 130
Delivery system ........................................................................................ 131
Transfer system ....................................................................................... 142
Transit tanks ............................................................................................. 143
............................................................................................................... 147
Helicopter fuelling facilities – Maintenance and fuelling procedures ...................... 147
Fuel quality sampling and sample retention .................................................... 148
Fuel sample containers ............................................................................ 148
Fuel sampling ........................................................................................... 149
Fuel sample retention ............................................................................... 153
Decanting from sample reclaim tanks ...................................................... 154
Recommended maintenance schedules ......................................................... 155
Transit tanks ............................................................................................. 155
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CAP 437 Contents

Static storage tanks .................................................................................. 159
Delivery systems ...................................................................................... 160
Miscellaneous inspection frequency ......................................................... 173
System breakdown .......................................................................................... 174
Sample reclaim tanks ...................................................................................... 175
Filling of transit tanks ................................................................................ 175
Receipt of transit tanks offshore ............................................................... 177
Decanting from transit tanks to static storage .......................................... 178
Set-up for fuelling direct from transit tanks ............................................... 179
Set-up for fuelling from static storage tanks ............................................. 180
Static storage tank draining ...................................................................... 180
Long term storage of aviation fuel ................................................................... 182
Aircraft refuelling ............................................................................................. 183
Quality control documentation ......................................................................... 186
............................................................................................................... 187
Helicopter landing areas on vessels ....................................................................... 187
Vessels supporting offshore mineral workings and specific standards for landing
areas on merchant vessels ............................................................................. 187
Amidships helicopter landing areas – Purpose-built or non-purpose-built ship’s
centreline ......................................................................................................... 188
Size and obstacle environment ................................................................ 188
Helicopter landing area marking and lighting ........................................... 191
Ship’s side non-purpose-built landing area ..................................................... 193
Ship’s side non-purpose-built landing area markings ............................... 195
Night operations .............................................................................................. 197
Poop deck operations ...................................................................................... 197
............................................................................................................. 198
Helicopter winching areas on vessels and on wind turbine platforms .................... 198
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CAP 437 Contents

Winching areas on vessels .............................................................................. 198
Design and obstacle restriction ................................................................ 198
Visual aids ................................................................................................ 199
Obstructions ............................................................................................. 201
Hoisting above accommodation spaces ................................................... 201
Helicopter winching areas on wind turbine platforms ...................................... 202
Platform design ........................................................................................ 202
Obstacle restriction................................................................................... 204
Visual aids ................................................................................................ 205
Further operational conditions ......................................................................... 209
Appendix A ........................................................................................................... 210
Use of offshore locations ........................................................................................ 210
AMC1 SPA.HOFO.115 .................................................................................... 210
General .................................................................................................... 210
GM1 SPA.HOFO.115 ...................................................................................... 218
Appendix B ........................................................................................................... 219
Bibliography ........................................................................................................... 219
References ...................................................................................................... 219
Health and Safety Executive .................................................................... 219
International Civil Aviation Organization ................................................... 220
Other publications .................................................................................... 220
Civil Aviation Authority – CAPs, research papers and policy statements . 221
Sources ........................................................................................................... 223
Appendix C ........................................................................................................... 225
Specification for helideck lighting scheme comprising perimeter lights, lit
touchdown/positioning marking and lit heliport identification marking .................... 225
Overall operational requirement ...................................................................... 225
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CAP 437 Contents

Definitions ................................................................................................ 227
The perimeter light requirement ...................................................................... 228
The touchdown/positioning marking circle requirement................................... 229
The heliport identification marking requirement ............................................... 233
General characteristics .................................................................................... 236
Requirements ........................................................................................... 236
Other considerations ....................................................................................... 238
Appendix D ........................................................................................................... 241
Helideck fire-fighting provisions for existing NUI assets on the UK continental shelf
............................................................................................................................... 241
Introduction .............................................................................................. 241
Definitions ................................................................................................ 244
H1/H2 scheme details .............................................................................. 245
Appendix E ........................................................................................................... 250
Additional guidance relating to the provision of meteorological information from
offshore installations............................................................................................... 250
Introduction ..................................................................................................... 250
Contents and standardisation of the weather reports issued by each offshore
installation ....................................................................................................... 250
Wind ......................................................................................................... 250
Visibility .................................................................................................... 251
Lightning ................................................................................................... 251
Present weather ....................................................................................... 251
Table 1: Fog reporting requirements ........................................................ 252
Cloud ........................................................................................................ 254
Air temperature and dew point ................................................................. 254
QNH and QFE (atmospheric pressure) .................................................... 254
Significant wave height ............................................................................. 254
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Pitch, roll, helideck inclination and significant heave rate ......................... 255
Remarks ................................................................................................... 255
Missing or unavailable information ........................................................... 255
Example offshore reports ................................................................................ 255
Definition of an offshore meteorological observer ........................................... 260
Applicability of meteorological equipment to helideck categories .................... 261
Design, siting and back-up requirements for meteorological equipment installed
in offshore installations .................................................................................... 261
Wind speed and direction ......................................................................... 261
Temperature ............................................................................................. 263
Pressure ................................................................................................... 264
Visibility .................................................................................................... 266
Present weather sensor ........................................................................... 268
Cloud ........................................................................................................ 269
Calibration, maintenance and servicing periods ....................................... 271
Appendix F ............................................................................................................ 272
Procedure for authorising offshore helicopter landing areas – letter to offshore
helicopter operators, October 2011 ........................................................................ 272
Appendix G ........................................................................................................... 274
Helideck friction survey protocol ............................................................................. 274
Introduction ..................................................................................................... 274
Friction measuring equipment ......................................................................... 274
Survey procedure ............................................................................................ 275
General .................................................................................................... 275
Preparation ............................................................................................... 275
Survey ...................................................................................................... 275
Survey reporting .............................................................................................. 276

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