Legal Shield — Legal Protection. Measurement and Metrology

🛡 Introduction

Commodity operations along oil & gas transit corridors are a real minefield. Legal risks hide at every step: from measurements and protocols to national and international agreements. Lawyers often argue over “commercial terms” (price, supply conditions), but in commissions and arbitration it is metrology that decides: operators rely on measurements, and measurements rely on methods, references to standards, and properly completed documentation.

Legal Shield by Pro meter is not a slogan but a working roadmap for safe passage through this “minefield.” We detect contradictions in advance, design legally robust procedures, and review document packages before signing critical agreements.

Standard protection level

• Protocols, logs, calibration and verification — strictly per the rules of the region.

• Traceability and unified format of records (acts, forms, reports).

What they rarely tell you

• In many countries, national norms conflict with international ones (OIML, API, ISO, GOST).

• In routine work this is invisible, but it surfaces in courts and arbitration.

• The highest risk is around “uncertainty vs error” terminology and incorrect references to sources.

Why Pro meter

• 40+ years of practice on transit corridors, continuous work with inspections and audits.

• Deep expertise in OIML, API, ISO/IEC, GOST and their “interfaces” in real projects.

• Ability to embed legal resilience directly into measurement procedures and documents.

What you get

• Verified documentation, ready for inspections and arbitration (including metrological support).

• A tailored list of risks and legal pitfalls for the specific project.

• Technical recommendations for arranging both the primary and backup measurement schemes.

• Balance reconciliation recommendations.

📘 Legal Metrology — extended

📄 Documentation and translations

Free PDF copies found on the internet may look convenient, but they are often outdated, truncated, or mistranslated.
In arbitration such documents are easily challenged.

Recommendation: organizations involved in the project must keep a complete, up-to-date set of documents listed in the main contract.

🧭 Pro meter recommendations (5 steps)

• Track your sources. Always reference the original: OIML, ISO, API, GOST.

• Choose methods correctly. If a standard requires “error,” do not replace it with “uncertainty.”

• Record legal rationale. A short phrase in the protocol can protect a contract.

• Develop applied methods for the site. Consider node conditions (T, P, ranges).

• Run internal audits before inspections to verify compliance with international norms.

🛡 Pro meter practice (audits)

To assess the state of metrological support, we run confidential internal audits.
Depending on the required depth, these can be performed remotely or on site.

🔎 For custody-transfer measurement systems we typically check:

• Technical design documentation.

• Operation manuals.

• Shift/hourly reports of the system.

• Calibration and verification protocols.

• Flow computer configuration and checksum.

• Flow computer event log.

This minimum package is sufficient for remote assessment.
For a complete audit, an on-site visit is required: we review the full documentation set specified in the contract and check the technical condition of the measurement systems.

A step-by-step audit program is available upon request.
All audits are fully confidential and carried out without disturbing the operating process.

🧰 Pro meter deliverables in metrology

• Method sheets for calibration and verification.

• Protocol templates with explanatory notes.

• Error and uncertainty budgets in editable Excel for metrological analysis.

• Algorithms for error/uncertainty evaluation using proprietary methods.

• Applied documentation for automated measurement systems.

• Documentation for technical servicing.

• Everything we produce complies with international and national metrology law.

🎓 Consulting, training and mentoring

We practice the following formats:

• Master classes instead of generic seminars.

• Coaching and on-site mentoring of young lead specialists.
  We do not replace your position — we help build skills and experience.

• Advisory for technical directors and top managers.
  We orient management on what requires attention and what can be safely ignored.

• Development of algorithms for calculation, regulation and control.
  We write technical specifications for programmers and coordinate their work during project delivery.

• Advisory for project managers.

We always think a few steps ahead. Compliance is embedded into every action.

📂 Case snapshots

Pro meter has encountered many serious — and sometimes curious — cases. For example:

• Vessels delayed at anchorage. Tankers waiting for weeks or even months due to errors in transit paperwork.

• Equipment returned to suppliers. Entire batches rejected because customs would not accept improperly prepared documentation.

• Chemical analyses invalidated. Attempts to “speed things up” led to protocols being rejected as incorrect.

And these are just a few examples. Pro meter has extensive, document-backed experience.
Full details are shared only in closed one-to-one meetings — to protect our clients’ interests and confidentiality.

📑 Reference standards (compact set)

International:
OIML R 117 (liquid measuring systems), OIML D 31 (AMS guide), ISO 3171 (sampling), ISO 4259 (test method precision), API MPMS Ch. 4 (provers), API MPMS Ch. 11 (physical property tables).

National/Regional (example RU/CIS):
GOST 8.586.1–5 (custody-transfer measurement units), GOST R 8.615 (liquid meters), GOST 2517 (sampling), GOST 27384 (quantity/quality systems), VNIIR/VNIIMS guidelines (compact provers, reference devices).