Allseas adding to fleet
Swiss-based Allseas Group S.A. is adding a fourth pipelay vessel to its fleet with the conversion of the 73,808-dwt-bulk carrierGeeviewinto the DP pipelay vesselAudacia. On Dec. 6, 2005, ownership of the vessel was officially transferred to Allseas, and the vessel’s name was formally changed toAudacia. The 225-m bulk carrier was built in 2005 at the Jiangnan Shipyard in China. The pre-converted tanker had a measured breadth of 32 m, depth of 19 m and a draft of 8 m.
One shipbroker reports that Allseas purchased the bulk carrier for approximately $44 million. Allseas then awarded Keppel Verolme a contract worth approximately EUR 26 million to convert the tanker into a pipelay vessel, capable of operating in water depths up to 3,000 m.
Keppel’s overall work scope includes delivery of new engine rooms, thrusters, additional cranes and accommodations.
The vessel will come equipped with accommodations for 240 people, two pipe transfer cranes (24 metric tons each), four pipe storage holds with overhead cranes, tensioner capacity of 525 metric tons (3 x 175 metric tons), an abandonment and recovery winch with 550-metric ton capacity, 112-m stinger, a 300-metric ton special purpose crane, and capacity for 44-in diameter pipeline.
The vessel was scheduled to arrive at Keppel’s shipyard in Rotterdam Botlek for conversion in December 2005, with targeted delivery of the completed and commissioned pipelay vessel by Nov. 1, 2006.
Rowan builds new design
Rowan plans to add two new jackups to its offshore fleet based on a new design called the LeTourneau 240C. According to Rowan, each rig will cost approximately $165 million and will be fabricated at the LeTourneau Vicksburg, Mississippi facility. The contractor anticipates delivery of the first rig around mid-2008, and the second in early 2009.
The 240C-designed rigs will be fitted with up to 535 ft of leg length, enabling operations in water depths of up to 400 ft. The rigs will also be equipped for high pressure/high temperature drilling.
Rowan says “the 240C design will set a new standard as a replacement for the industry’s current fleet of 116C rigs, which have been the workhorse of the global drilling industry for the past 25 years.”
Compared to the 116C design, the 240C will have more deck space, higher variable load, more drilling capacity (2 million lb hook-load capacity), more cantilever reach (up to 85 ft) and increased capacity for personnel (120 people), according to Rowan.
“The construction of these rigs, utilizing the resources of our manufacturing division, will accelerate the process of replacing our rigs lost in the recent hurricanes,” said Danny McNease, Rowan chairman and CEO. “The construction of the two 240C rigs, together with the previously announcedHank BoswellandTarzan IV, will provide us with rig deliveries in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.”
EXMAR invests in LNGRV
Netherlands-based EXMAR confirms it has executed a long-term charter with Woodlands, Texas-based Excelerate Energy LP, for a liquefied natural gas regasification vessel (LNGRV), bringing the total number of ships included in the Excelerate Energy Bridge operation to five. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. (DSME) will build the vessel. Both EXMAR and Excelerate will each hold a 50% interest in the vessel. Delivery is expected in 2Q 2009.
Excelerate Energy proposes to use the 150,900-cu-m vessel to deliver regasified LNG to the Gulf Gateway Deepwater Port, which is situated approximately 116 mi off the Louisiana coast. The company anticipates that the vessel will support its application to construct the Northeast Gateway, a deepwater port slated for the Massachusetts Bay, near Boston.
The Energy Bridge system was inaugurated on April 6, 2005 with initial cargo discharge through the world’s first offshore liquefied natural gas receiving facility - the Gulf Gateway Deepwater Port.
MISC Berhad awarded FSO contract
MISC Berhad (formerly known as Malaysia International Shipping Corp. Berhad) confirms that it has signed a contract with Petrofac (Malaysia-PM304) Ltd. for the provision of an FSO vessel to be deployed 140 km offshore Terengganu, Malaysia.
The FSO will be installed on the Cendor field’s block PM-304, for a fixed term of two years plus one year and potential further extensions. The contract value for the fixed term is approximately $19.7 million. First oil is anticipated in July 2006.
The FSO unit will be based on the conversion of a 63,155-dwt tanker with a storage capacity of 517,798 bbl. The converted FSO will be permanently moored in a water depth of 63 m by a 10-point spread mooring system. Refurbishment and conversion works will be performed at Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Sdn. Bhd.•
