Bully drill tower sails to Singapore

Oct. 7, 2010
The drill tower for the Noble Bully II drillship has left the Huisman construction site and is in transit to Keppel Shipyard in Singapore, where it should arrive early next month.

Offshore staff

SCHIEDAM, the Netherlands -- The drill tower for the Noble Bully II drillship has left the Huisman construction site and is in transit to Keppel Shipyard in Singapore, where it should arrive early next month.

The Bully drillship design provides relatively low-cost, flexible drilling in ultra-deep and arctic conditions. Huisman’s compact box-type drilling tower, which was selected in place of a conventional derrick, allows for a smaller vessel compared to other deepwater drillships of similar capacity. The box type drill tower design, the company claims, also improves safety and maintenance.

Huisman designed and manufactured the tower and associated cranes, pipe, riser, and BOP handling equipment. Most of the equipment was produced at the company’s yard just outside Rotterdam.

The drill tower was upended on the quay, fully assembled and tested prior to transportation. The topdrive, including service loops, was installed and tested, and one of the setback carousels, including four pipe rackers, also was installed, allowing testing of the pipe handling in Schiedam.

The 80-m (262-ft) high drill tower will be placed onboard the vessel via a single lift. Testing and commissioning should follow soon afterwards onboard the Noble Bully II.

Huisman’s scope extended to all equipment for handling of drill pipe, casings, marine risers, subsea and surface BOPs and christmas trees, the riser tensioning system, both deck cranes, and both drillers cabins. It also supplied associated power systems and an integrated control system for third- party equipment that had been shipped earlier to Keppel Shipyard.

10/07/2010