Forecasting. Ocean users inform us that we are not obtaining 
necessary weather data. The Michaelangelo incident provides one 
dramatic example of the need for short-term forecasts in the open 
oceans. The recent destruction of the British petroleum platform, 
with the resulting loss of 11 lives, has created new concern among un- 
dersea oil exploration companies. The basic problem in such sea op- 
erations is getting people off the rig when storms come. Large storms 
such as hurricanes take a long time to develop and are not as dangerous 
as more local storms having a shorter time scale. Present technology 
requires surface-mounted platforms, and users badly need data regard- 
ing predictions of wave height and local storms. Lacking these data, 
oil companies are presently designing platforms to operate from 50 
to 150 feet below the surface of the sea, away from the weather. 
The consensus of oil companies is that by 1975, if technology is 
available, most stationary installations will be on the bottom of the 
sea, not on the surface. Most drilling will probably be conducted 
from the surface, but 011 well operations and some temporary storage 
facilities will be on the bottom. Presently, we do not have the tech- 
nology needed for building installations on the ocean floor, but oil 
companies are determined to obtain it. They have estimated that 
about 10 years will be required to develop the technology and operat- 
ing experience. 
4.7. STANDARDS 
Very few data and still fewer primitive, engineering standards now 
exist for underwater operations. If there is to be any substantial 
construction activity on the ocean floor as has been suggested, the fol- 
lowing types of data and information must be provided: 
1. An engineering characteristic for a variety of important 
bottom conditions to include standardized tests and their inter- 
pretation. 
2. Environmental data on the water column (this is essentially 
the “weather in the sea” problem) and the relationship of water- 
column dynamics to bottom conditions. 
3. Engineering standards for designing bottom-mounted struc- 
tures in light of “‘sea-weather” data. 
The Panel believes that in developing engineering standards for 
design and use in undersea installations, it is desirable to utilize com- 
petent, existing standard-making organizations. The Navy, the 
American Bureau of Shipping, and the American Standards Asso- 
ciation Center should be the core of undersea standard-making activi- 
ties. Specifically, the Panel does not recommend forming a new 
organization for the promulgation of engineering standards in the 
ocean environment. 
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