This recommended practice provides guidelines for design, fabrication, installation, inspection and operation of floating production systems (FPS). A FPS may be designed with the capability of one or more stages of hydrocarbon processing, as well as drilling, well workover, product storage, and export. This document addresses only floating systems where a buoyant hull of some form supports the deck, production, and other systems. Bottom-fixed components, such as self-supporting risers, and station keeping systems, such as turret mooring, catenary anchor leg mooring (CALM), single anchor leg mooring (SALM), etc. are considered as ancillary components and are addressed in more detail in other API recommended practices.