Center For Offshore Safety

What Center For Offshore Safety does

The Center for Offshore Safety (COS) is an industry-sponsored safety organization established in 2011 and operated under the American Petroleum Institute (API) from its headquarters in Houston, Texas. It functions as the sole Accreditation Body recognized by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) under 30 CFR 250.1922 to accredit Audit Service Providers (ASPs) that conduct Safety and Environmental Management System (SEMS) audits under API Recommended Practice 75. Through this accreditation, COS indirectly governs the third-party verification regime for roughly 78% of all oil and gas activity on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf and 50+ million member work hours annually.

COS's core offerings are organized in three layers. First, the Accreditation Program authorizes a small number of qualified ASPs (ABS Quality Evaluations, CICS Americas, DNV Business Assurance USA, and ERM Certification and Verification Services) to perform SEMS audits per ISO/IEC 17011:2017 and API RP 75. Second, COS issues SEMS Certificates — awarded to organizations completing independent audits and corrective actions — and has extended these to offshore wind operations and international offshore assets via API RP 75W and 4th Edition guidance. Third, COS distributes a codified knowledge library including the Maturity Self-Assessment Tool (COS-3-03), Safety Shares incident reports, Good Practices guidance, audit protocols, RP 75 training modules, an Annual Performance Report, and the annual COS Forum and Safety Leadership Awards.

The business model is a hybrid of low-fee industry dues ($5,000 annually for non-API members; waived for API members), recurring accreditation and oversight revenue from ASPs, training module sales, and event registration ($425–$525 per Forum attendee). COS does not disclose revenue and operates as a non-profit initiative under API rather than a venture-backed enterprise. Membership spans major operators (ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, Equinor, TotalEnergies), drilling contractors (Valaris, Helmerich & Payne), service providers (Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Oceaneering, Subsea 7), and affiliated trade associations (IADC, OOC, OMSA, OPITO), with the consortium business model extended to HWCG Holdings in 2025.

Name

Center For Offshore Safety

Legal name

Center for Offshore Safety

Website

https://centerforoffshoresafety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Offshore Safety is an industry-sponsored accreditation body under the American Petroleum Institute that accredits Audit Service Providers to conduct SEMS safety audits and issues SEMS Certificates to offshore oil, gas, and wind operators, drilling contractors, and service providers on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Offshore Safety Certification and Accreditation

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389)

akta.pro primary industry

Third-Party Certification, Code Compliance & Regulatory Inspection (ASME/API/ISO) (EUAEAHAN)

Keywords

• Offshore safety certification
• SEMS accreditation
• Audit service providers
• Offshore oil and gas safety
• Industry safety accreditation

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: COS generates revenue through membership dues. Annual dues have been eliminated for API members and reduced to $5,000 for non-members, including contractors and other service providers.
2. Accreditation Services: Revenue generated from accrediting Audit Service Providers (ASPs) to perform SEMS audits. ASPs go through an application process, office assessment, and witness assessment before accreditation is granted.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Center for Offshore Safety (COS) is an industry-sponsored initiative under the American Petroleum Institute (API) that accredits Audit Service Providers (ASPs) to conduct Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) audits for offshore oil and gas operators, drilling contractors, and service companies. It establishes standards, conducts training, and provides a structured framework for independent safety and environmental management system verification across the offshore sector.

Product overview

The Center for Offshore Safety (COS) operates as a standards and certification body offering a unified portfolio of safety management services centered on Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS). The core offering is the SEMS Certification Program, where COS accredits qualified Audit Service Providers (ASPs) who then conduct independent SEMS audits of offshore operators and jointly issue SEMS Certificates with COS. Supporting this are RP 75 Training Modules for education, Safety Shares (incident learning documents), SEMS Auditing Guidance Documents, and SEMS Good Practices Guidance. The Safety Leadership Awards recognize industry excellence, while the Annual Performance Report provides safety data analytics. The portfolio also includes the newly launched API RP 75W for offshore wind operations, extending SEMS principles to renewable energy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SEMS Audit Service Provider Accreditation Accreditation program that qualifies independent third-party Audit Service Providers (ASPs) to conduct Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) audits for offshore oil and gas operators. It is for offshore operators, drilling contractors, and service companies seeking qualified auditors to verify compliance with SEMS standards.
• SEMS Certification for Offshore Operators Certification pathway for offshore oil and gas operators and contractors demonstrating conformance to the SEMS standard through accredited audits. It is for offshore operating companies and drilling contractors seeking third-party verified safety and environmental management system certification.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero nonconformities across 450+ areas evaluated in BSEE audit (2020)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Offshore Operators Committee (OOC) - Wind Energy SectorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022OOC collaborated with API and COS on developing API RP 75W, the new standard for offshore wind safety management systems. MOU signed September 2022.
• Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015BSEE recognizes COS as an Accreditation Body under 30 CFR 250.1922. BSEE regulations require offshore operators to implement SEMS and have them audited by COS-accredited ASPs. Regular MOU audits ensure COS maintains standards.
• American Petroleum Institute (API)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPI is the parent organization of COS, providing standards, publications, and operational framework. API RP 75 serves as the foundation for COS's SEMS programs and auditing requirements.
• U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSCG works with COS on inspections and regulatory information. USCG participates in COS Forum events and collaborates on safety initiatives for offshore operations.
• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBOEM provides regulatory information, environmental reports, and permitting activity updates relevant to offshore operations.
• International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIADC provides standards, publications, and safety alerts. IADC is a COS affiliate member helping advance drilling contractor safety practices.
• Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPE provides publications and safety information as an industry resource for COS members.
• Offshore Operators Committee (OOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOOC collaborates with COS on standards development and information sharing for offshore operations.
• Chemical Safety Board (CSB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSB provides investigations, chemical and explosion studies, and recommendations for process safety incidents.
• ABS Quality Evaluations Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCOS-accredited ASP authorized to conduct SEMS audits and issue SEMS certificates within the US OCS. Contact: Dominic Townsend, 281-221-9184.
• CICS Americas Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCOS-accredited ASP authorized to conduct SEMS audits and issue SEMS certificates within the US OCS. Contact: Kurt Teuscher, 281-292-8606.
• DNV Business Assurance USA, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCOS-accredited ASP authorized to conduct SEMS audits and issue SEMS certificates globally (US OCS and international). Contact: Chandran Ilango, 281-396-1696.
• ERM Certification and Verification ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCOS-accredited ASP authorized to conduct SEMS audits and issue SEMS certificates within the US OCS. Contact: Christopher Bentick, 281-746-8100.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DNV: DNV Business Assurance USA is a COS-accredited ASP authorized to conduct SEMS audits globally. DNV is one of the world's largest independent certification bodies in energy, maritime, and management systems — directly comparable as a third-party certifier that competes for the same audit mandates.
• ABS Quality Evaluations: ABS Quality Evaluations is a COS-accredited ASP authorized to perform SEMS audits within the U.S. OCS. Its parent, American Bureau of Shipping, makes it a directly comparable third-party certification provider for offshore safety management systems.
• Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas is a global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) company active in oil & gas. While not listed among COS's four accredited ASPs, it competes in adjacent energy management-system certification markets (e.g., ISO 45001/14001) and serves many of the same offshore operators.
• ERM Certification and Verification Services: ERM CVS is a COS-accredited ASP authorized to conduct SEMS audits within the U.S. OCS. ERM is one of the largest global environmental consultancies with a dedicated certification and verification practice serving oil & gas majors.
• CICS Americas: CICS Americas is a COS-accredited ASP authorized to perform SEMS audits within the U.S. OCS. It is a focused management-system certification body directly comparable to ABS QE and DNV within COS's regulated accreditation program.
• SGS: SGS is the world's largest testing, inspection, and certification company, with significant oil & gas industry coverage. It competes for ISO 14001/45001 management-system audits at the same offshore operators and would be a natural alt-accreditation body if BSEE broadened its recognition.
• LRQA (Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance): LRQA is a global assurance provider specializing in management-system certification for high-risk industries including oil & gas. It competes for ISO 14001/45001 audits at many of the same offshore operators that COS members rely on, and represents a comparable accreditation-led third-party certification model.

Broad incumbents

• American Petroleum Institute (API): API is COS's parent organization and the broader U.S. oil & gas standards body (~600 members). It represents a much larger but adjacent scope — upstream, midstream, and downstream — while COS focuses narrowly on offshore safety management systems.
• International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP): IOGP is the international equivalent of API for upstream safety, with overlapping publications such as the IOGP Life-Saving Rules. It functions as an industry-wide safety standards body analogous to COS but with global rather than U.S.-only scope.
• International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC): IADC is a COS affiliate member and the global trade association for the drilling industry. It overlaps with COS on drilling-contractor safety standards and works in partnership on SEMS-equivalent programs for drilling rigs, making it a structurally comparable industry-safety peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-offshore-safety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center For Offshore Safety