This document provides general requirements and recommendations for the development and operation of subsea production/injection systems, from the concept development phase to decommissioning and abandonment.

Flexible pipe standards form part of the API 17‑series of documents (see 4.3.3); however, this document (technically equivalent to API RP 17A 6^th edition) does not generally cover flowlines/pipelines or production/injection risers (associated with flowlines/pipelines). These components form part of a complete subsea production system (SPS), as shown in Figure 1.