Someone might know a reference for this.
There is a viewpoint that subsea structures in deep and ultradeep water have either a limited or no requirement for dropped object protection.
The consideration being that any workover vessel is so far above the structure, that any dropped objects would travel on any number of inclinations and land over a very large area (visualised as a cone beneath the vessel). Currents and other environmental effects also have influence.
The probability that it would hit the structure is therefore lower than in shallower depths.
I don’t know if this is stated explicitly in any codes, any guidance?
Other references would be useful as well.
regards