Engineering Standards

Standard

4915
Page

1 of 4
HANDLING, STORAGE
AND SHIPPING OF PIPE

Issue Date

Rev. No.
Date

1.

07/87
4
02/96

SCOPE
This standard covers general requirements for handling, storage and shipping of steel pipe either bare or with
corrosion protective coating.

2.

CODES AND STANDARDS

API RP 5L1 Recommended Practice for Railroad Transportation of Line Pipe
API RP 5LW Recommended Practice for Transportation of Line Pipe on Barges and Marine Vessels.

3.

4.

GENERAL
3.1

"Contractor" as used herein shall mean the manufacturer of the pipe at the pipe mill or the Company's
contractor responsible for the handling, storage, loading for shipment or coating of the pipe.

3.2

For shipment by means not covered by API RP standards, the manufacturer shall load pipe for shipment in
such a way as to eliminate the possibility of critical stresses and fatigue cracks occurring due to cold
working of pipe in transit.

3.3

Pipe shall be handled at all times in a manner that will not cause dents, nicks, gouges, permanent bends,
ovality, disbondment of coating or other damage to the pipe, end bevels or pipe coating.

3.4

Contractor shall bear the cost of replacement or repair, at Company's option, of any of the pipe, end bevels
or pipe coating which is damaged due to Contractor's operations or negligence.

3.5

Company shall have the right to inspect all activities related to the handling, storage or shipping of pipe
as covered by this standard.

3.6

Pipe shall be protected during loading, transit and storage in order to prevent contamination by oil,
grease, salt water or other chemicals which could adversely affect coating adhesion. A positive reaction
with potassium ferricyanide indicating paper will be considered proof of chemical contamination and will
mandate phosphoric acid treatment of all pipe. Such treatment shall consist of preheating the pipe to at
least 120F, followed by phosphoric acid solution wash and a high pressure rinse with clean water. Where
other contamination is found, the pipe shall be inspected and segregated at the destination and all affected
pipe shall be cleaned by detergent wash.

HANDLING
4.1

Only equipment acceptable to the Company's inspector shall be used in handling the pipe. Use of wire
slings is prohibited unless special handling techniques are used to avoid cable marks on the pipe.

4.2

The bearing surface of end hooks shall have a shape and width sufficient to prevent permanent
deformation of the pipe. The surfaces of end hooks that come in contact with the pipe shall be covered
with a protective cover such as aluminum, teflon or ultrahigh molecular weight polyethelene and shall be
changed as required to prevent wearing to base metal. Copper alloy lining shall not be permitted.

4.3

A cable spreader bar between the crane boom and end hooks will be used if necessary to prevent pipe
deformation or exceeding stress limits specified by the Company.

* Indicates revised paragraph, this Rev. No.

Engineering Standards

Standard

4915
Page

2 of 4
HANDLING, STORAGE
AND SHIPPING OF PIPE

Issue Date

Rev. No.
Date

5.

6.

07/87
4
02/96

STORAGE
5.1

Pipe of each different specification (i.e., size, wall, grade, manufacturer, coating) shall be stored separately
in such a manner as to be clearly identifiable at all times.

5.2

Pipe to be stored shall be stacked either on wooden timbers or earth berms.

5.2.1

Timbers shall be a minimum of 8" wide. Three equally spaced timbers will be required for
support of a 40-foot pipe length. An additional support timber will be required for each
additional 10 feet of pipe length.

5.2.2

When earth berms are used, a polyethylene cover of not less than 20 mils thickness shall be
placed between the earth and pipe.

5.3

The timbers or berms shall have sufficient height to prevent ground surface water or mud from
contaminating the pipe and shall be constructed in a manner to allow drainage of water from each piece of
stacked pipe.

5.4

The area in which the pipe is stored shall have sufficient drainage to prevent water standing under the
pipe.

5.5

The number or tiers of pipe to be stacked shall be limited to prevent deformation or other damage to the
pipe or its coating due to the weight of the pipe.

5.6

Pipe having a fusion bond epoxy coating shall be stacked in a manner and with materials of a type,
thickness and width necessary to maintain a minimum spacing of 3/4" between each pipe and all adjacent
pipes without damage to the coating. Pipe coated with other materials may be nested unless specified
otherwise by the Company.

SHIPPING
6.1

6.2

General
6.1.1

Dunnage shall be hardwood or dense fir.

countersunk to avoid transit damage to pipe.

Nailheads on dunnage shall be adequately

6.1.2

Pipe interiors at unloading shall be free of debris, e.g., cables, dunnage pads, etc.

6.1.3

Discovery of any transit fatigue cracking shall be grounds for rejection of the entire load until
absence of cracking of the balance of the load is proven.

6.1.4

Where steel-to-steel contact has fretted the pipe surface, magnetic particle inspection shall be
performed to ensure absence of cracking.

Railroad
6.2.1

Pipe shall be loaded on or in rail cars in accordance with all provisions of API RP 5L1, latest
edition, regardless of D/t ratio. End gates lined with wood to a minimum nominal thickness
of one (1) inch shall be provided in gondola cars and bulkhead flat cars.

* Indicates revised paragraph, this Rev. No.

Engineering Standards

Standard

4915
Page

3 of 4
HANDLING, STORAGE
AND SHIPPING OF PIPE

Issue Date

Rev. No.
Date

6.3

6.4

07/87
4
02/96

6.2.2

The static load stress used in computing the number of bearing strips required in API RP 5L1
shall not exceed 17,000 psi.

6.2.3

Rail cars shall be clean and inspected by the Company's Inspector prior to loading. The
Inspector shall be given reasonable prior to loading and shipping so that each rail car can be
inspected prior to loading and again before it is released to the railroad.

6.2.4

Skids shall be placed directly on car bottom, not on residual debris. Skid height shall be at
least one (1) inch higher than any foreign material or integral projections on the car bottom.
Skids shall not be stacked and skid height shall not exceed skid width.

Truck
6.3.1

The type of truck or trailer Contractor proposes to use to transport the pipe will be approved
by the Company.

6.3.2

Metallic uprights on trucks/trailers shall be completely padded with a minimum of 1/8-inch

thickness of PVC or equivalent.

6.3.3

Dunnage shall be arranged to avoid contact between pipe and nails and/or staples. Skids shall
not be stacked and skid height shall not exceed skid width.

6.3.4

Nonmetallic hold-down straps shall be used. Use of chains is prohibited. Steel strapping may
be used for belly banding provided they are free of burrs.

Barge, Inland Waterway

Pipe shall be loaded on barges in accordance with API RP 5LW with mandatory wood dunnage. Barges
and loading are subject to inspection by the Company's Inspector who will be given adequate advance
notice for such inspection.

6.5

Seagoing Vessels
6.5.1

Pipe shall be loaded in accordance with API RP 5LW with mandatory wood bearing strips and
side wood bearing strips. All API requirements shall apply to all pipe regardless of actual D/t
ratio.

6.5.2

The Company's Inspector shall have free access to the vessel during loading, hatch opening
and unloading.

6.5.3

Bevel protectors shall cover all pipe ends unless stipulated otherwise in the purchase order.

6.5.4

Pipe shall not be shipped on deck.

6.5.5

No pipe end shall overhang any underlying pipe end by more than 3.3 feet.

* Indicates revised paragraph, this Rev. No.

Engineering Standards

Standard

4915
Page

4 of 4
HANDLING, STORAGE
AND SHIPPING OF PIPE

Issue Date

Rev. No.
Date

07/87
4
02/96

6.5.6

No overstowage is permitted.

6.5.7

Steel-to-steel contact is prohibited except for full length pipe-to-pipe contact. Welds shall be
positioned or the pipe padded to preclude contact of welds with other pipe, dunnage or
bulkheads.

6.5.8

Lashing shall be padded to preclude metal-to-metal contact with the pipe.

* Indicates revised paragraph, this Rev. No.