David Paganie - Houston
Keppel scores multiple contracts
Keppel O&M, through Keppel Shipyard and Keppel FELS Brasil, has secured three contracts totaling $197 million.
The first two projects, secured by Keppel Shipyard, are for the construction of a derrick pipelay barge and the modification of an FPSO. Bumi Armada Berhad awarded the barge contract, and the FPSO contract is from SBM. The barge, designed for 100 m (328 ft) water depth, will be built in two separate hull strips and mechanically completed in Keppel Shipyard before transportation to a shipyard in the Caspian Sea for completion. The hull strips are expected to cross the Volga-Don River Canal System by November of this year. The FPSO workscope calls for installation and integration of four new modules plus the modification of the existing topside and turret ofFPSO Capixaba. The vessel currently is deployed in the Golfinho field offshore Brazil. It is expected to arrive at Keppel Shipyard in August for modification and upgrade in preparation for deployment on the Cachalote field offshore Brazil. The FPSO is scheduled to be operational in early 2010.
Keppel O&M’s third contract was from Noble Drilling (Nederland) B.V. Secured by Keppel FELS Brasil, through BrasFELS, the contract calls for the completion of the semisubmersible drilling rigNoble Dave Beard, which was scheduled to arrive in Brazil at the end of March. Keppel’s scope includes mechanical completion of the vessel, as well as assisting in the commissioning and installation of equipment. The work is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year, for charter to Petrobras offshore Brazil.
Meanwhile, Keppel FELS has collected a $625,000 bonus from Mercator Offshore for delivering the jackupGreatdrill Chetna 20 days ahead of schedule, within budget, and without incident. The KFELS B class designed rig is contracted by ONGC for a three-year assignment in the Mumbai High field offshore India.
Lamprell proceeding with expansion plans
UAE fabricator Lamprell is positioning for the upturn: “Despite the uncertain economic environment, our operational developments are continuing as planned. We believe our expansion is essential so that Lamprell is well placed to harness future business streams once the financial markets have improved and we see an upturn once more in activity levels,” the company says.
Operations at the new facility at Hamriyah were to start in the second quarter of this year. This will have a developed area of 250,000 sq m (2,690,978 sq ft) with a deepwater berthing quay wall 1,250 m (4,101 ft) long and 9 m (29.5 ft) deep.
Lamprell says the facility should give it more flexibility, allowing work on up to 10 rigs at once and to build as many as three new jackups. It also will be able to refurbish drillships and semisubmersibles drilling rigs, a service previously constrained by space and water depth limitations.
Elsewhere, the company is developing and expanding its yard at Jebel Ali, and it also has completed a new 46,950-sq m (505,365-sq ft) facility with a 158-m (518-ft) deepwater quayside in Sattahip, Thailand.
MIS completes keel laying for two hulls
Maritime Industrial Services Co. has completed the keel laying for the rigHull 109 and the steel-cutting for the rig Hull 110. Both rigs are being built for First Energy Bank of Bahrain (FEB).
The rigs are progressing according to the scheduled delivery dates of September and December 2010, respectively, the company says.
Both rigs are being built to the Friede and Goldman (F&G) Super M2 design, with a 30,000-ft (9,144-m) rated drilling depth and an operating water depth of 300 ft (91 m). Each rig is fitted with accommodation for 110 people.
Discoverer Clear Leader, Petrorig I mobilizing for long-term contracts
The ultra deepwater drillshipDiscoverer Clear Leader left the DSME shipyard in South Korea on March 26, according to Transocean. The vessel was bound for Singapore and then to Durban for a crew change. It is due to arrive in the Gulf of Mexico in late May, for a five-year contract with Chevron.
The rig is designed to drill wells to 40,000 ft (12,192 m) deep in up to 12,000 ft (3,658 m) water depth. It is the first of Transocean’s ten ultra deepwater newbuild rigs to leave the shipyard, including five enhanced Enterprise-class newbuild drillships.
The semisubmersible drilling rigPetrorig I was scheduled for delivery at the end of March from Jurong Shipyard in Singapore. The rig is contracted by Petrobras for a five-year assignment in the Gulf of Mexico, with an option for an additional five years. The rig owner Petrorig I Pte Ltd. recently signed a $450 million memorandum of understanding for the sale of the rig.
Global floating production market forecast to exceed $85 billion
Infield Energy Analysts forecast that over the period 2009 through to 2013, the total global floating production systems market will exceed $85 billion, an increase of $32 billion over the previous five years. Over the period, 229 units are expected to be installed, with Asia (61) leading the way and Latin America (46) and Africa (43) following.
Petrobras is the most active player with an expected $15-billion expenditure, followed by Total, Chevron, Shell, ExxonMobil, and BP. FPSOs will command the majority of the spending with $48.6 billion, of which 45% will be newbuilds and 55% conversions, Infield says.
The newbuild semisubmersible drilling rigEnsco 8501 was named officially in Singapore on March 28. It is the second in a series of seven deepwater semis scheduled to be built by Keppel FELS for Ensco International. The rig is to be delivered in the middle of this year. It is assigned to Noble and Nexen for work in the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, Ensco’s first delivery in the series, Ensco 8500, is expected to begin its commitment in the GoM in June, two months behind schedule. This resulted from the company’s decision to replace the rig’s original deck cranes with new ones because of mechanical and reliability issues. All seven Ensco 8500 Series semis are scheduled to be delivered by 2012.
