"Bulletin 2V provides guidance for the design of steel flat plate structures. These often constitute main components of offshore structures. When applied to Tension Leg Platforms (TLPs) this Bulletin should be viewed as a complement to API RP 2T. The Bulletin combines good practice considerations with specific design guidelines and information on structural behavior. As such it provides a basis for taking a ""design by analysis"" approach to structural design of offshore structures. Flat plate structures include thin plates@ stiffened panels and deep plate girders@ and they can constitute the main component of decks@ bulkheads@ web frames and flats. The external shell of pontoons or columns can also be made of flat stiffened panels if their cross section is@ for example@ square or rectangular@ rather than circular. Bulletin 2V is not a comprehensive document@ and users have to recognize the need to exercise engineering judgment in actual applications@ particularly in the areas that are not specifically covered. Plates are discussed in Section 3@ stiffeners in Section 4@ stiffened panels in Section 5@ and deep plate girders in Section 6. Limit states are given for each relevant load and load combination@ and design requirements are also defined. Figure 2.1-1 summarizes the structural components and the limit states covered in Bulletin 2V."