Judy Maksoud, Houston
Strategic Marine gets DSV order
Western Australia’s Strategic Marine Pty. Ltd. has secured an order from Coastline Maritime Pte. Ltd. of Singapore for steel construction of a 143-m (469-ft) diving support vessel (DSV).
The hull, which is the second of this design, will be built at Strategic Marines’ new facility in Vung Tau, Vietnam. The new facility is symbolic of the company’s evolution, Strategic says.
Coastline Maritime Pte. Ltd. will supply the vessel design. The completed hull will be outfitted by the owners with their own equipment package.
Ezra orders pipelay vessel
Ezra Holdings Ltd. has awarded a $25.6-million contract to Labroy Shipbuilding and Engineering for a newbuild ultra-large pipelay, accommodation, well service, and maintenance vessel.
The vessel will be the second of its kind in Ezra’s fleet and will be engineered like its sister vessels for pipelay, maintenance, installation, well service, and construction services.
The new vessel will work on deepwater rigs and platforms, and will be able to perform all types of deepwater work in demanding weather conditions, Ezra says.
Delivery is expected in the first half of 2009.
New crane vessels on order
In late 2Q 2007, Seaway Heavy Lifting placed an order with the Merwede shipyard, a member of the IHC Holland Merwede Group in the Netherlands, to build a new dynamically positioned crane vessel.
The new 183-m-long (600-ft) monohull vessel will be fitted with a crane with a revolving lift capacity of 5,000 metric tons (5,512 tons) and Class 3 dynamic positioning. The vessel will accommodate 395 people.
A unique feature of the vessel will be an innovative hull shape (patent pending), which will enable a transit speed of 14 knots, Seaway says. Delivery is planned for early in 2010.
In late June, Avonway ordered a monohull crane vessel with a 5,000-metric-ton (5,512-ton) single mast lifting capacity from Singapore’s Sembawang Shipyard.
Sea of Solutions was responsible for the concept and basic design of the vessel. Huisman-Itrec in Rotterdam will build the crane, which extends around 150 m (492 ft) above the deck.
Keppel adds jackup and semi to order book
Several months after its first jackup delivery to PetroVietnam Drilling Investment Corp., Keppel FELS Ltd. secured a second contract valued at $191 million for another rig. ThePV Drilling II jackup, like its sister rig PV Drilling I, will be built to the KFELS B Class design. Delivery is scheduled for 4Q 2009.
According to Keppel, thePV Drilling II will have longer legs than PV Drilling I and will operate in a maximum of 114 m (375 ft) water depth. The newbuild will be capable of drilling to 9,144 m (30,000 ft). The new jackup will be able to work in fields with operating requirements for a 36.6-m (120-ft) air gap.
Keppel also secured an order for an ultra deepwater semisubmersible drilling rig from a wholly owned subsidiary of Ensco International Inc.
The semi,Ensco 8503, will be the fourth semi constructed at Keppel FELS for Ensco. Delivery is scheduled for 3Q 2010.
TheEnsco 8503 ultra deepwater semi rig, like her sister rigs, is based on Ensco’s proprietary design, the Ensco 8500 series, which is an enhanced version of the Ensco 7500 design.
The 8500 series rigs will be able to drill in 8,500 ft (2,591 m) water depth and can be upgraded readily to 10,000 ft (3,048 m) water depth capability. Enhancements include pipe handling capability, increased drilling capacity, greater variable deck load, and improved automatic station keeping. The rigs will be well suited for deepwater development drilling, Ensco says.
In the last 10 years, Ensco has awarded the Keppel O&M Group approximately $4.5 billion worth of construction and repair projects, Keppel says.
PetroMENA orders semis
In mid-second quarter, PetroMENA ASA entered into EPC contracts with Jurong Shipyard for construction of three sixth-generation semisubmersible drilling rigs.
The semis will operate in water depths of 2,286-3,048 m (7,500-10,000 ft) and will be able to work in the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, and West Africa. All of the rigs will be equipped for harsh environment operations, PetroMENA says, but initially will not be designed for arctic environments.
PetroRig I is scheduled for delivery in Jan. 2009, PetroRig II in Sept. 2009, and PetroRig III in Jan. 2010.
McDermott acquires Secunda
In June, McDermott International Inc. subsidiary J. Ray McDermott S.A. signed an agreement to purchase all the assets of Secunda International Ltd. The purchase includes 14 harsh-weather multi-functional vessels with capabilities that include subsea construction, pipelay, cable lay, and dive support, along with Secunda’s shore base operations.
Secunda’s vessels are operating in the US and Mexican Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, and Atlantic Canada.
The acquisition was completed in late August.
Gusto wins turnkey supply orders
GustoMSC, an alliance of Gusto B.V., GustoMSC Inc., and Marine Structure Consultants B.V., signed a letter of intent with Singapore’s Jurong Shipyard in 3Q 2006 for delivery of the rack and pinion jacking systems and a 550-ton (499-metric-ton) fully revolving crane for a Saudi Aramco jackup. GustoMSC designed the jackup for Saudi Aramco in 2006.
The company also has signed a contract with COSL in China to deliver two basic CJ46-X100-A jackups. GustoMSC will supply the leg fixation systems and patented XY-cantilever skidding system
