VESSELS, RIGS, & SURFACE SYSTEMS
Tracy Dulle - Houston
Wilpioneer semisub load out complete
Yantai Raffles Shipyard has loaded out successfully the first of Awilco Offshore’s three semisubmersible drilling rigs under construction at YRS in Yantai, Shandong Province.
The lower hull of theWilpioneer was loaded out onto a floating barge using a combination of the gripper jack system with the shipyard’s existing roller skidding method. The hull was subsequently floated off in the dredging area and tugged into the dry dock.
TheWilpioneer, fully equipped for year-round operation in harsh environments, is a GM4000 design rig, with a dynamic positioning system, accommodation unit, and ballasting system designed to support duties such as intervention and drilling in water depths to 2,500 ft (762 m).
Construction of theWilpioneer deckbox is progressing as scheduled at YRS and the mating is expected to take place before the end of the year, the company says.
Bergen Group to upgrade three Transocean semisub rigs
Transocean Offshore (North Sea) has signed a frame agreement with Bergen Group Hanøytangen AS to upgrade three rigs.
The agreement is for upgrade and classification work on theTransocean Searcher, Polar Pioneer, and Transocean Arctic, as well as an option for corresponding work on another drilling rig. Bergen Group’s scope of work includes detailed project planning, purchasing, as well as involvement in overall project management. Bergen Group estimates the frame contract will have an expected turnover of more than $81 million. The work began in September 2008 and will continue until the end of 2009, and will be carried out at Bergen Group’s facilities at Hanøytangen outside Bergen.
Dolphin Drilling receives letter of award for semisub Byford Dolphin
Dolphin Drilling has received a letter of award for a three-year contract for the semisubmersible drilling rigByford Dolphin to operate in the UK North Sea. The agreement, which remains subject to finalization of contract terms, will begin the contract in 1Q 2010 after completing its five years class renewal survey.
The estimated contract value is $449 million.
Aban Offshore’s jackup Deep Driller 3 contracted
Aban Offshore has received a letter of award for the continued deployment of the rigDeep Driller 3 offshore Malaysia for a four-year period in direct continuation of its present contract.
The estimated revenue from the contract is $241 million.
Shell Egypt contracts jackup J. P. Bussell
Rowan Cos. Inc. has received a letter of intent from Shell Egypt for the new Tarzan class jackupJ. P. Bussell.
The commitment is for two wells that are estimated to require 20 months to drill, and contains options for three additional wells. The $111 million contract is expected to begin during 3Q 2009.
The vessel is currently at the company’s Sabine Pass, Texas, facility for final outfitting, and is scheduled for completion in early November. The rig should begin operations in the Gulf of Mexico soon thereafter, according to the company.
MIS wins jackup construction contracts
MENAdrill has awarded Maritime Industrial Services (MIS) a $364-million contract for the detail design and construction of two offshore jackup drilling rigs to be built in Sharjah, UAE.
The two rigs, hulls109 and 110, which will be supplied by MIS on a turnkey basis, are scheduled for delivery in September 2010 and December 2010, respectively. The rigs will be built according to a Friede and Goldman (F&G) Super M2 design with 30,000 ft (9,144 m) rated drilling depth and an operating water depth capability of 300 ft (91 m). Each rig is fitted with accommodation for 110 people.
FEB’s MENAdrill will use the rigs to provide drilling services under long-term contracts to National Oil Companies (NOCs) and International Oil Companies (IOCs) throughout the region.
FloaTEC’s T-Semi breezes through Phase-2 model test
FloaTEC LLC conducted Phase-2 of its Truss Semi (T-Semi) model test program in October with a group of invited guests at the Offshore Technology Research Center (OTRC) at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
“We are very pleased with the test results,” says Dr. John Murray, FloaTEC director -Technology Development. “They confirmed our design tools and gave an indication of the nonlinear-type responses that can only be quantified in these model test campaigns. Overall the design behaved as we expected in the post-Katrina Gulf of Mexico conditions.”
In water deeper than about 5,500 ft (1,676 m), the spar is practically the only dry tree solution. The primary requirement for floaters that support dry trees is to demonstrate low motions. The dry tree semi offers the motions of the spar and the functionality of the semisubmersible. The main attraction to the dry tree semi is that its topsides can be installed and commissioned dockside. This translates into cost reductions and flexibility in delivery schedule. The Truss Semi uses versions of FloaTEC’s proprietary deep draft semi hull design and uses hydrodynamic interaction between the truss heave plates and the hull to reduce motions. The truss would be launched like a conventional jacket and mated with the hull either near shore or offshore.
The motions are limited to enable the use of commercially available tensioners, currently limited to under 30-ft (9.2-m) stroke. Longer stroke tensioners would require more real estate to accommodate and are not commercially available, FloaTEC says, adding that it also would be prohibitively expensive. FloaTEC is developing base case designs of the dry tree semi for Gulf of Mexico conditions for two different water depths – 4,300 ft (1,311 m) and 8,000 ft (2,438 m).
“The next step is to publish the results of these tests in appropriate periodicals and use the information to promote the design to potential clients,” Murray says.
FloaTEC expects to be ready to offer the design commercially in 2009.
“We are confident in its performance and we look forward to an opportunity to deliver the first one,” Murray says.