Bolt and Connector Failures: a recurring problem that raises serious safety and environmental hazard concerns

Bolt and Connector Failures

Breaking News: BSEE announces Forum on Safety Equipment Failures 

August 1, 2016

Leadership and staff of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement have been working to address a recurring problem that raises serious safety and environmental hazard concerns - faulty connector bolts in safety critical equipment currently deployed offshore. 

There have been a number of failures - beginning over a decade ago around 2003 - of bolts that are used to connect blowout preventers, risers, and other subsea equipment. We have created this page so that government, industry, and other stakeholders can share the latest information related to these failures, including: root cause analyses of bolt/connector failures, safety alerts, industry standards and guidance, and other connector and bolt related information and guidance.

• Correspondence
  • API Letter to BSEE Chief of Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs July 15, 2016
  • Stork Stud Failure Report March 2010  This document was received by BSEE July 7, 2016
  • BSEE SA 318 Industry Response Final Presented This was submitted to BSEE by API on March 31, 2015. BSEE staff are currently reviewing this documents
  • API Response to Director Salerno March 14, 2016
  • API Response to Director Salerno February 5, 2016
  • Director's Letter to API January 22, 2016
  • BSEE Director's Response Letter August 8, 2014
  • Letter of Transmittal on Connector and Bolt Failures July 28, 2014
• Safety & Engineering Alerts
  • Safety Alert: Connector and Bolt Failures February 2, 2016
  • 5,000 psi Blind Shear Ram Bolting Torque Engineering Bulletin (posted with permission from GE) January 16, 2016
• BSEE Research
  • BSEE Bolts Technical Evaluation Approach June 2016
  • BSEE QC-FIT Update - 150114 API Winter Standards Meeting June 2016
  • Fact Sheet on BSEE's Subsea Bolts Performance and Critical Drill-Through Equipment Fastener Study March 2016
  • 2016 Update on BSEE QC-FIT Evaluation of Connectors and Bolt Failures February 2016
  • QC-FIT Evaluation of Connector and Bolt Failures August 2014
• Industry Standards & Research
  • Proposed Industry Response to BSEE Bolting Safety Alert 318 June 2016
  • DNV GL-led JIP Project
• Recent News
  • BSEE announces Forum on Safety Equipment Failures August 1. 2016
  • BSEE Director Reaches Out to Federal Agency Partners to Help Address Failures in Safety Equipment July 26, 2016
• Recent Blogs
  • Director's Corner 20 July 2016
  • Continuing Concerns about Components in Safety Critical Equipment - Bolts February 1, 2016
  • Offshore Regulatory Programs Team Gets Right Bolts for OCS