First steel cut for Discoverer Americas

Offshore staff

OKPO, South Korea -- First steel has been cut at the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. yard for Transocean's Discoverer Americas drillship. This marks the start of the construction on the second of Transocean's four enhanced Enterprise-class drillships in South Korea.

Contracted to Hydro of Norway for operations in the US Gulf of Mexico under a four–year drilling contract, the ultra deepwater drillshipDiscoverer Americas is designed to operate in water depths to 12,000 ft (3,658 m) and to drill wells to a depth of 40,000 ft (12,192 m).

The rig will feature Transocean's patented dual-activity drilling technology. Some 20 Transocean project team members at the shipyard and additional personnel in Houston Engineering and Park 10 operations are supporting the construction of theDiscoverer Americas, Discoverer Clear Leader, Discoverer Inspiration, and a fourth newbuild drillship yet to be named.

TheDiscoverer Americas is scheduled for delivery in early 2Q 2009.

9/17/2007