Offshore platform cables are a family of special halogen-free, low-smoke flame-retardant (HFFR-LS) cables specifically designed for offshore oil and gas facilities such as offshore oil drilling platforms, production platforms, FPSOs (Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading units), and jack-up drilling rigs. In extreme environments characterized by crude oil/mud immersion, high salt-spray corrosion, explosive and flammable atmospheres (ATEX hazardous zones), and confined spaces with dense personnel occupancy, these cables provide power transmission, control commands, instrumentation signals, and communication transmission for the platform, serving as the "blood vessels and nerves" of offshore oil and gas platforms.
The selection benchmark for offshore platform cables is NEK TS 606—a technical specification for offshore installation cables developed by the Norwegian Electrotechnical Committee (NEK), now in its NEK TS 606:2025 (Seventh Edition), which is adopted by major global classification societies and energy operators as the baseline specification for offshore cable procurement.
Core standard system:
|
Standard |
Scope of Application |
|---|---|
|
NEK TS 606:2025 |
Comprehensive specification for offshore installation cables (based on the IEC 60092 series, with additional offshore-specific requirements) |
|
IEC 60092-350 |
General construction and test methods for power, control, and instrumentation cables for ships and offshore platforms |
|
IEC 60092-353 |
Marine power cables with extruded solid insulation for rated voltages of 1kV to 3kV |
|
IEC 60092-354 |
Single-core and three-core power cables with extruded solid insulation for rated voltages of 6kV to 30kV |
|
IEC 60092-360 |
Specification for insulation and sheathing materials (SHF1/SHF2, etc.) |
|
IEC 60092-376 |
Cables for control and instrumentation circuits with rated voltages of 150/250V |
|
IEC 60332 |
Flame-retardant characteristics (Category A bunched) |
|
IEC 60331 |
Fire-resistant characteristics (maintaining circuit integrity for 90 to 180 minutes under flame at 750℃ to 1000℃) |
|
IEC 60754 |
Halogen-free characteristics (pH ≥ 4.3, conductivity ≤ 10μS/mm, halogen content < 0.5%) |
|
IEC 61034 |
Low-smoke characteristics (smoke density light transmittance ≥ 60%) |
|
IEEE Standards |
Commonly used in AFSL projects and offshore platforms, with emphasis on humid environments and long-term operational reliability |
|
British BS 6883 / BS 7917 |
Marine cable standards commonly used in Middle Eastern and certain British-system projects (later incorporated into the NEK 606 system) |
|
ATEX Directive |
Compliance requirements for explosive gas atmospheres |
