Lamprell maintains rig turnarounds

Offshore staff

SHARJAH, UAE-- Lamprell performed upgrade and reconditioning work on 14 jackups during the first half of this year at its two yards in UAE.

The line-up of rigs included the Ensco 53, which has since started working for BG offshore India; the Al Ghallan for National Drilling Co., now on the Zadco field off Abu Dhabi; and the Roy Rhodes for Noble International, the work scope for which includes refurbishment of the 120-person living quarters and upgrading of the drill floor and cantilever. This project should be completed soon.

At the Hamriyah facility, the newly built LeToruneau Super 116E jackup Offshore Freedom was delivered to Scorpion Freedom in April. The rig is working for the Al-Khafji joint operation in the Saudi Arabia and Kuwait ex neutral zone.

The hull for the Scorpion Offshore Mischief should be launched in 4Q 2009, to be followed by rig outfitting alongside the quay at Hamriyah. This rig should be delivered next spring.

Detailed engineering and procurement of bulk materials and major equipment items is well advanced for the jackup S116E. However, construction of the hull has been suspended while Lamprell and contractor Riginvest pursue additional finance for the program or a buyer for the rig. Construction should resume late this year.

Around the same time, Lamprell expects to deliver its first self-erecting tender-assist drilling barge to BassDrill. The company’s Jebel Ali yard is also fabricating two FPSO process modules for Saipem and spud can extensions for Master Marine.

Marine work at the new Hamriyah Free Zone site is finished, and the 250,000-sq m (2.7 million-sq ft) facility is operational, ready for EPC projects. Dredging work and the 1.25-km (0.78-mi) quay wall have been completed, along with several fabrication areas. Work continues on construction of offices, workshops, stores, and other infrastructure. The company aims to bid this facility for a wider range of rigs, including refurbishment of semisubmersibles and drillships,

Lamprell says the scope of rig overhaul programs is being scaled back as drilling contractors attempt to reduce non-essential expenditure, reflecting the continuing uncertainty in market conditions. However, it believes that the Middle East will remain a key market for jackups, which will require refurbishment to extend their working lives.

08/26/2009