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    Floatel opts for second accommodation semi

    July 1, 2008
    Floatel International has exercised its option to build a second new semisubmersible accommodation rig to support offshore operations.
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    Floatel International has exercised its option to build a second new semisubmersible accommodation rig to support offshore operations. With the oil price now well over $100/bbl, demand for such services should remain strong for a long time to come, says CEO Peter Jacobsson.

    The market fundamentals for floating accommodation units have not essentially changed since the company placed the order for its first unit theFloatel Superior with the Keppel FELS yard in Singapore in March 2007. There are 19 semisub units serving the world market, with an average age of 25 years and the majority of them controlled by one owner.

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    Floatel International’s second newbuild accommodation rig, which will have capacity to sleep 500.
    Click here to enlarge image

    Floatel’s state-of-the-art rigs will have a strong competitive edge, Jacobsson believes. The company is pursuing charter opportunities for theFloatel Superior in the North Sea and elsewhere.

    While this is a harsh environment rig intended mainly for North Sea service, the second unit – theFloatel Reliance – is aimed at worldwide operations excluding the northern part of the North Sea. Construction will be financed through equity and debt finance. Both units are scheduled for delivery in 2010.

    The second rig is being built to Keppel FELS’ SSAU 3600 design, also used for theSafe Concordia, which was delivered to Consafe Offshore three years ago when Jacobsson was CEO of that company. While Safe Concordia has 380 beds, Floatel International has decided to upgrade the accommodation capacity for the Floatel Reliance to 500 in the form of one, two, and four-bed cabins.

    The six-column unit will rely on a DP-2 system for station-keeping, though it will also have a two-point system for emergency and inshore mooring. Power and maneuvering will be supplied by four 3.9-MW Wärtsilä diesel engines and four 2.5-MW Flowserve thrusters.

    Deck-load capacity will be more than 1,500 metric tons (1,653 tons) at operational draft, and the available deck area 1,300 sq m (13,993 sq ft). Craneage will comprise a 120-ton (109-metric ton) main crane and a 25-ton (22.7-metric ton) auxiliary crane with sufficient reach to serve the host facility.

    Construction of the first rig is well under way – first steel was cut in December last year and the keels of the pontoons were laid in May. First steel forFloatel Reliance was due to be cut on July 1 this year.

    For more information contact Peter Jacobsson, Floatel International Management. Tel +46 3167 3760, fax +46 3167 3769,[email protected], www.floatel.se