Offshore staff
LYSAKER, Norway -- The hull substructure for Aker Solutions' drilling rig Aker H-6e has started on its 50-day journey from Dubai to Stord in Norway. Weighing 16,000 metric tons (17,637 tons), this is one of the largest drilling rigs to be towed, says Aker Solutions.
The hull was constructed by Aker Solutions at Drydocks World's Dubai yard and will be towed to Aker Solutions' yard at Stord, on the west coast of Norway. There it will be assembled with the topside facility and subject to further construction work prior to delivery.
The 120-m (394-ft) long hull will be towed through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea, passing the western coasts of Spain and France, entering the North Sea before it reaches its final destination at Stord on the Norwegian west coast late May/early June.
The Aker H-6e drilling rig is the latest-generation of semisubmersible platform specially designed for deepwater drilling operations in harsh environments.
H-6e rigs can drill in water depths up to 3,000-m (9,842-ft) deep, with a maximum drill string length of 10,000 m (32,803 ft).
Two Aker H-6e rigs,Aker Spitsbergen and Aker Barents, are under construction in 2008 by Aker Solutions.
04/16/2008
