New DNV recommended practice supports offshore hydrogen pipelines development

Developed through the H2Pipe joint industry project, the recommended practice DNV-RP-F123 Hydrogen pipeline systems addresses hydrogen-specific risks in offshore pipeline design and operation to support safe deployment.

DNV has published DNV-RP-F123 Hydrogen pipeline systems, a recommended practice for offshore hydrogen pipelines, supporting safe design, operation and requalification of pipeline infrastructure in hydrogen service.

The recommended practice addresses hydrogen-specific integrity and safety considerations, including risks such as hydrogen embrittlement. It supplements DNV’s established submarine pipeline standard, DNV-ST-F101, first published in 1976 and celebrating 50 years of service for the energy industry in 2026. The new RP adds additional guidance tailored to transporting hydrogen gas and hydrogen blends in pipeline systems. It is relevant for new pipeline developments and for organizations considering requalifying existing offshore infrastructure for hydrogen transport, supporting broader efforts to scale hydrogen networks and connect energy systems.
 
Hydrogen is expected to play an important role in cutting emissions from hard-to-decarbonize sectors. For large-scale transport, pipelines remain one of the most cost-effective options, but projects have faced uncertainty around material behaviour, design limits and operational requirements.
 
DNV-RP-F123 has been developed through the H2Pipe joint industry project (JIP), which ran from 2021 to 2026. The JIP consolidated research, testing and industry experience into guidance intended to be used directly in engineering projects and qualification work.
 

Prajeev Rasiah, DNV
Prajeev Rasiah, Executive Vice President and Regional Director for Northern Europe, Energy Systems at DNV

“Hydrogen service fundamentally changes the integrity picture for pipeline systems," explains Prajeev Rasiah, Executive Vice President and Regional Director for Northern Europe, Energy Systems at DNV, "it cannot be treated as a simple variant of natural gas. This recommended practice moves beyond theoretical study to provide an evidence-based framework for assessing hydrogen-specific risks in design, requalification, and operation. By closing the gaps around material suitability and safety margins, we are giving teams the technical clarity needed to move projects from the study phase into execution. This is particularly vital for requalifying existing infrastructure, where the guidance helps define exactly what must be tested or upgraded to ensure a safe reliable and sustainable transition.”
 
The H2Pipe JIP brought together 37 industry partners across operators, manufacturers, engineering companies and academic advisors. DNV is now launching Phase 3 of the JIP: “The next step for the industry is large-scale testing to validate data and advance existing standards. This phase will include full-scale pipe testing at DNV’s Spadeadam Research and Development Facility. The results will feed into the continued development of DNV-RP-F123 and future guidance,” says Jan Fredrik Helgaker, Principal Engineer, Energy Systems at DNV and project manager of the H2Pipe JIP. 
 
“The objective of the H2Pipe JIP is to build guidance grounded in shared data and real technical experience from testing,” adds Philippe Darcis, Chairman of the H2Pipe JIP Steering Committee and Pipeline Technology Senior Director at Tenaris. “The real value of the H2Pipe JIP is in turning years of shared data into credible, site-ready guidance that engineers can use to scale hydrogen infrastructure. This is a practical tool built to reduce the 'unknowns' that often stall investment. Because it was developed through industry-wide collaboration, it gives operators a robust basis for making decisions, allowing us to move forward with fewer assumptions and greater confidence in our safety and performance standards."

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