1. The Technical Regulation to comply with is Technical Regulation No. 1 of 11. January 2000 on the approval of offshore containers handled in open seas. (See DMA homepage: www.dma.dk/sw221.asp ).
    
2. See also DMA guidelines for approval of offshore containers handled in open seas. (To be purchased at Iver C. Weilbach, Copenhagen).
    
3. For existing offshore containers in use prior to the in-force date of the Technical Regulation, see DMA guidance No. 4 of 7. June 2000 on de-commission of offshore containers of an earlier date. (To be purchased at Ivor C. Weilbach, Copenhagen).
    
4. Email to Iver C. Weilbach & Co. A/S: nautical@weilbach.dk .
    
5. The DMA approval of offshore containers is delegated to the recognized classification societies.

1. The document referred to is available in English language via the above referenced web page. The English version does have a comment stating "Translation: Only the Danish version is authentic". This should not be taken to infer that the intent of the document is incorrect, it is more to identify that some inaccuracy may occur in the translation.
    
2. The document referred to is a Danish translation of MSC 860 : "Guidelines for the Approval of Offshore Containers Handled in Open Seas". Unless a Danish version is required, go to IMO for a copy of the original English version.
    
3. OCI has approval from DMA to display an unofficial English version of the referenced document and the translated document is displayed below as Danish Maritime Authority Administrative Instruction No. 4 dated 7 June 2000. The document translation was carried out by Bente H Sorensen of ABS Translation 34 Brandon Way, Lynwood, Western Australia. ABS Translation are accredited by the National Accreditation Authority of Translators and Interpreters.
    
4. The email address is provided for information only.
    
5. This indicates that Offshore Containers used in the Danish sector of the North Sea must be certified by a classification society.

Following the issue of the Danish Maritime Authority technical instruction no. 1 dated 11 January 2000 concerning the approval of offshore containers for high seas handling, the Danish Maritime Authority have been contacted by several operators. They advised that when closely inspecting the offshore containers being used, it had been found that a large number of containers manufactured prior to 1 January 1994 do not fully comply with the provisions of said instruction.

These containers were manufactured before internationally recognised standards for offshore containers had been established, although they had been manufactured according to criteria that can largely be considered to be equivalent to today's standards. These containers had also been used for a number of years without any indication that safety issues had been compromised as a result of the use and handling of the containers. Consequently, the immediate phasing out of these offshore containers cannot be justified on the basis of safety matters.

In order to make allowance for this situation and at the same time ensure a balanced phasing out of old offshore containers, the Danish Maritime Authority have established the following criteria for instances where containers manufactured prior to 1 January 1994 may be considered to be equivalent to containers that meet the requirements of the Danish Maritime Authority Technical Instruction no. 1 of 11 January 2000 concerning the approval of offshore containers for high seas handling:

• The offshore container has been constructed and approved according to the standards of a recognised classification society.
   
• The offshore container has been submitted to and will continue to be submitted to annual Inspections and approvals by a recognised establishment pursuant to the guidelines stipulated in point 17 in the Technical Instruction Annex.
   
• Theoretically, the offshore container should always be phased out once it is 10 years old.
   
• In the event an offshore container is used after its 10th year, it must undergo a tightened annual inspection pursuant to the guidelines of DS/EN 12079 - 12.2.2, 12.2.3, 12.2.4 and be marked according to 12.2.5.