Insights on Tender Assisted Drilling Vessel

Using a semi-submersible tender vessel for drilling from floating installations with dry wellheads in deepwater could be more cost-effective in benign climates such as in Southeast Asia, Brazil and West Africa, according to some well known drilling contractor. 

For example,  West Alliance, built by Keppel, delivered sometime in 2002. The design of this vessel, which is based on that of the West Menang, has been modified with larger columns and pontoons and incorporates a higher variable deckload and more storage capacity for liquid mud and brine.

The eight anchor winches are larger, compared to the wire currently used on West Menang and West Pelaut, which are also some of semisubmersible tender rigs owned by Seadrill. The mooring of tender rigs in deepwater has been facilitated by the development of lightweight mooring ropes such as Dyneema, which is made of high-modular polyethylene and polyester, combined with a pre-laid mooring system.

Two key questions arise in considering whether tender-assisted drilling is beneficial in these circumstances:

•Are there savings to be made compared with alternative solutions?

•Is it technically feasible, given that there is no experience of tender rigs working with deepwater floaters?

Cost savings

The major economic benefit of using a tender rig is that the cost of providing an integrated platform rig is avoided. Estimation made and was suggested that for a wellhead tension-leg platform (TLP), a saving of at least US$140 million (net present value) can be achieved.

This figure is made up of the cost of the platform rig itself and the reduction in the platform construction cost, which results from the fact that the TLP can be smaller. The operating weight of the self-erecting tender is only about one quarter that of a platform rig, while the size of the deck required for the derrick equipment set is also significantly smaller since mud systems, power, pipe deck, accommodation, and so on, are contained on the tender.

•Modec, which has developed the Moses wellhead TLP design

•Aker Maritime, which has delivered several Spar platforms.

The design criteria used in the studies were water depths of 6,000 ft for the Spar and 4,000 ft for the TLP. The key feasibility issue is whether the rig can be moored alongside a TLP or Spar in such a way as to maintain an optimal distance from the installation, neither approaching so close as to run the risk of colliding with it, nor moving so far that the lines carrying power, mud and other functions from the tender to the platform come under strain.

The design environmental conditions used were the 100-year storm conditions in Africa. Criteria for sea conditions were set at a significant wave height of 13.8 ft, a one-minute wind of 43 knots, and a surface current of three knots.

Mooring systems

For the TLP, the study considered a steel wire catenary system with the additional use of two pre-tensioned "stretcher" ropes between the tender and the platform. The stretcher ropes, the purpose of which is to further constrain the relative excursion between the tender and the platform, are 3 1/4-in. nylon rope pre-tensioned to a relatively low value - 50 kips. By maintaining positive tension in the stretchers it is possible to ensure that a minimum controllable distance is always maintained to the TLP. A Tension Leg Platform (TLP) is a vertically moored compliant platform. The floating platform with its excess buoyancy is vertically moored by taut mooring lines called tendons (or tethers). The structure is vertically restrained precluding motions vertically (heave) and rotationally (pitch and roll). It is compliant in the horizontal direction permitting lateral motions (surge and sway).

For the Spar platform study, a taut-leg mooring (TLM) system consisting of wire and polyester rope was used, which is similar to the mooring system adopted for the Spar platform. Studies showed that it is possible to moor the tenders in depths down to 6,000 ft by using a pre-installed mooring system combined with the semisub tender rig's own mooring system upgraded from 2 1/4-in. to 2 1/2-in. diameter wire rope. In the case of the TLP, the maximum relative distance was 84 ft and the minimum distance was 73 ft. In the Spar's case, the maximum relative distance was 105 ft when using 2 1/2-in. wire combined with 3-in. polyester rope and 92 ft when using 2 1/2-in. wire combined with 5-in polyester rope. The minimum distance was 36 ft. The Spar concept is a large deep draft, cylindrical floating Caisson designed to support

drilling and production operations. Its buoyancy is used to support facilities above the water surface [Glanville, et a1 1991; Halkyard 19961. It is, generally, anchored to the seafloor with multiple taut mooring lines. A third generation “cell” Spar was introduced in 2004. It performs similar to the other Spars, but it is constructed differently. The hull consists of multiple ring-stiffened tubes, or “cells”, which are connected by horizontal and vertical plates. This method of construction is cheaper than the traditional plate and frame methods. Because of the length of a Spar, the Spar hull cannot be towed upright. Therefore, it is towed offshore on its side, ballasted to a vertical attitude and then anchored in place. The topside is not taken with the hull and is mated offshore once the Spar is in place at its site. The mooring cables are connected with pre-deployed moorings.

                                                 Courtesy of Dietswell - Horse Shoe Tender Rig

The HS Tender




Tender Assist Drilling vessel erecting of DES onto platform. Courtesy Axon Energy, Youtube downloaded.

                                                        Courtesy of AXON Energy

Offshore Drillship design and building market steaming up but not for long with plunging oil price...



Courtesy of Dolphin Drilling

August 2012, Odfjell Drilling has signed a contract with Brazil Petrobras for the charter and service of three drillships that will be constructed at the Jurong Aracruz shipyard in Espirito Santo. Seadrill is leasing another three drillships to Petrobras.The floating drilling vessels will operate mainly in the pre-salt blocks in the Santos Basin, and according to Petrobras, they can operate in depths of up to 3,000 meters, with a drilling capacity of up to 10,000 meters.

The contracts were signed on August 3rd, and they are all associated with Petrobras’s newbuild program, according to a press release from Odfjell Drilling. Odfjell won the contract in conjunction with its Brazilian partner Galvão Oleo&Gás and Sete Brasil, and Petrobras also entered into agreements with Queiroz Galvão, Petroserv and Odebrecht for another six semi-submersible platforms in which KeppelFELS has started its engineering work and construction planning already.

“This is an important milestone in the development of Odfjell Drilling’s Brazilian drilling activities. The contract gives us an strong industrial basis and positions Odfjell Galvão for further opportunities in one of the most prospective drilling markets worldwide”, says Mr. Simen Lieungh, CEO of Odfjell Drilling.

The three drillships under the names “Guarapari”, “Siri” and “Itaoca” will be constructed in Brasil, by Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz, located in the state of Espirito Santo. The drillships will be based on the drillship design of the proprietary of the shipyard, Jurong Espadon, and will be capable of operating at 10,000 ft (3,048 m) water depth and drilling to depths of 40,000 ft (12,192 m). The local content on the ships ranges from 55 to 65 percent, as required by Petrobras which is same as the semi contract. This gives the local labour workforce good opportunity to keep their sleeves busy.

Another three drillships are also being constructed at the Jurong shipyard, and these will be operated by Seadrill, an offshore deepwater drilling company controlled by Norwegian John Fredriksen. Seadrill currently has five drill ships in operation in Brazilian waters, and four are on contracts with Petrobras.

Odfjell Drilling and Brazilian industrial group Galvão Engenharia recently formed a joint venture with the aim to own and manage the three drillships and develop future opportunities in the Brazilian drilling market. In February 2011, Odfjell Drilling opened a new office in Rio de Janeiro as a first step of expanding the activities in Brazil.

The Odfjell Galvão joint venture is owned on a 50/50 basis and will have a 20 percent stake in the three drillships. Odfjell Galvão will be responsible for management of the vessels throughout the contract period.

Odfjell Drilling is currently operating the Deepsea Metro II also on a contract for Petrobras. “The first milestone we reached in Brazil”, according to Mr. Johanson.

Deepsea Metro II is an ultra deepwater drillship owned by Metrostar (60 percent) and Odfjell Drilling (40 percent), suitable for drilling operations at water depths up to 12 000 feet.

Drillship Overview 2010 - courtesy of ABS

Main Drivers for Vessel Design Selection :

Water depth


Environmental conditions - Harsh or benign

Variable deck load

Transit speed

Station keeping

Owners preferences -Some owners have in-house designs or have chosen a specific design for unknown reasons

Yards preferences and qualifications- Most yards have experiences with some designs or have in-house designs

Market requirements - Shortage in market of specific rigs or niche market

Trends in demand of vessel

Waterdepth capability- 12,000ft water depth capability

Innovative designs-  Smaller drillships with Panamax beam
Circular shaped rigs
Innovative equipment and solutions
Slim high pressure riser with surface BOP

Drilling mast (as a contrary to derrick) with carousel pipe storage

Below deck riser storage
Dual Derrick

Set riser and BOP while drilling open portion of wells
Can equip Dual Derrick 
No patent issues

Less people onboard, less maintenance

Often have so called ”tripsaver” arrangement similar to those used in Semi submersible

POB
1,5 requires ~180 POB
Dual requires ~200 POB Accommodation, lifesaving, galley, utilities etc.

 

US company Ensco, responding to high market demand driven by an ongoing successful offshore discoveries,  has ordered a new advanced-capability, ultra-deepwater drillship to be built at the Samsung Heavy Industries, Co. Ltd. (SHI) Shipyard in Geoje, South Korea. The vessel, ENSCO DS-8, will be the sixth Samsung DP3 drillship in the Ensco fleet, extending the benefits of Ensco’s fleet standardization strategy. It is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2014.

The contract also includes options for two additional drillships of the same design. The fleet expansion will extend Ensco’s advantage of operating the newest ultra-deepwater fleet among global drilling contractors.

Including commissioning, systems integration testing, project management and spares, the construction cost is expected to be around US$650 million. Consistent with the previous five Samsung ultra-deepwater drillships ordered since 2007, the new unit will have advanced capabilities to meet the demands of ultra-deepwater drilling in water depths of up to 12,000 feet and a total vertical drilling depth of 40,000 feet. New features on ENSCO DS-8 include retractable thrusters, enhanced safety and environmental features, improved dynamic positioning capabilities and advanced drilling and completion functionality including below-main-deck riser storage, triple fluid systems, offline conditioning capability and enhanced client and third-party facilities.

The new drillship is based on the proprietary Samsung GF12000 hull design measuring 755 feet in length and 125 feet in width. It will offer a payload in excess of 22,000 metric tons and a 1,250-ton hoisting system. The rig’s design and capabilities include numerous features that increase operating efficiency. Primary to these capabilities are enhanced and redundant offline tubular stand building features and a 165-ton active heave compensating construction crane, allowing for the deployment of subsea production equipment without interference with ongoing drilling operations. The rig, which will be initially outfitted for drilling in water depths of up to 10,000 feet, will be equipped with dynamic positioning in compliance with DPS-3 certification; six-5.5 megawatt thrusters for enhanced station-keeping; expanded drilling fluids capacity; a 15,000-psi subsea well control system with six rams, upgradable to seven rams and/or a second BOP stack; burner boom for well testing; and living quarters for up to 200 personnel.



ENSCO DS6

Ensco’s three active DP3 drillships are currently contracted into 2016 in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Brazil and West Africa. A fourth, ENSCO DS-6, is currently at KeppelFELS undergoing some minor modifications in preparation for its first well assignment under a five-year contract with BP. ENSCO DS-7 is scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2013.

Courtesy of various Drillship Designers

Drillships Listing



June 2013, ENSCO DS-10, advanced-capability DP3 ultra-deepwater drillship based on the Samsung GF12000 hull design will be the eighth Samsung DP3 drillship in the Ensco fleet, further extending the benefits of Ensco’s fleet standardization strategy. It will be built at the Samsung Heavy Industries, Co. Ltd. (SHI) shipyard in South Korea, with delivery scheduled for the third quarter of 2015. The agreement includes an option for an additional drillship of the same design.

ENSCO DS-8 and ENSCO DS-9, also based on the GF12000 hull design, are scheduled for delivery in 2014. Ensco is currently the only drilling contractor offering the advanced features of the GF12000 hull design.

Including commissioning, systems integration testing, project management and tubulars, the construction cost is expected to be approximately US$625 million. Measuring 755 feet in length and 125 feet in width, ENSCO DS-10 will offer a 1,250-ton hoisting system with enhanced offline capability. Like ENSCO DS-8 and ENSCO DS-9, the new unit will have advanced capabilities to meet the demands of ultra-deepwater drilling in water depths of up to 12,000 feet and a total vertical drilling depth of 40,000 feet. It will be initially outfitted to work in water depths up to 10,000 feet.

Features include: retractable thrusters; enhanced safety and environmental features; improved dynamic positioning capabilities; and advanced drilling and completion functionality, including below-main-deck riser storage, triple fluid systems and offline conditioning capability. The drillship also incorporates enhanced client and third-party facilities with living quarters for up to 200 personnel.

A 165-ton active heave compensating construction crane allows for deployment of subsea production equipment without interference with ongoing drilling operations. ENSCO DS-10 includes a 15,000-psi subsea well control system with seven rams and can accommodate a second BOP stack.

Ensco’s four active DP3 drillships are currently working in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Brazil and West Africa. Three are contracted into 2016 and the fourth is contracted into 2018. A fifth drillship, ENSCO DS-7, scheduled for delivery later in 2013, is contracted to Total into 2016.

US based Rowan's one of three drillships, under construction in Korea, will work for Spanish oil giant Repsol at a day rate ranging from $614,000 to $624,000, depending on work location. The contract is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2014 following delivery in late 2013.

The drillship is expected to mobilize to West Africa for the first year of its commitment at an effective day rate of up to $624,000 per day. Repsol currently plans to move the Renaissance to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico for the remaining 2 years, at which point, the effective day rate will be $614,000 per day.  Rowan Renaissance is the first of three Rowan’s drillships under construction at Hyundai Heavy Industries. The drillships of GustoMSC P10,000 design, once completed, will be capable of drilling wells to depths of 40,000 feet in waters of up to 12,000 feet.

Mr Keller says “We are encouraged, though not surprised, by the interest we’re getting in these very high-specification rigs from operators and remain optimistic about our ability to obtain attractive commitments for the other 2 drillships in the coming months. We also received an extension from Hyundai Heavy Industries for our option to build a fourth drillship. We now have until early September to exercise that option at a price substantially similar to what we are paying for the third rig. In the meantime, we continue to see good demand in upward pricing pressure in the high-spec jack-up markets around the world.”

Furthermore, Rowan sees significant strength in the ultra-deepwater drillship market: “We believe the market is ready to absorb additional ultra-deepwater units. We are currently tracking active requirements for 23 ultra-deepwater drillships, including several outstanding proposals. While we continue to monitor projects in the frontier regions of the world, the focus of recent tender activity has been the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and West Africa.”

Drillship - courtesy of  ROWAN 



From the launch of the "Pelican" in 1972 GustoMSC has been involved in the design and construction of DP drill ships. During the 90's GustoMSC developed a new generation drill ship, capable of drilling in maximum 10,000 ft water depth. In 2007 the development of the P10,000 was taken a significant step further, enhancing the design ready to step into the next generation.

One of the main features is the very large free deck area on both forward side and aft side of the drill floor. The vessel is specially developed to operate in water depths of 10,000 ft up to 12,000 ft and drilling activities to a total depth of 40,000 ft under the drill floor. The drill floor features a large racking setback capacity of 1,580 metric ton (1,750 st).

The design is equipped with a 165 mt heave compensated crane, for operations such as off-line subsea production tree handling, located just aft of the full double activity 4 million pounds derrick, making the vessel a ‘triple activity’ unit.

The ship’s DP system is DP3 compliant with station keeping ability and sufficient power to operate in typical Gulf of Mexico, Brazil or West Africa conditions.

Units built / under construction:

• Ensco DS-2 (formerly Pride Angola) 1999
• Ensco DS-1 (formerly Pride Africa) 1999
• GSF C.R. Luigs 1999
• GSF Jack Ryan 2000

• Deepwater Champion 2010
• Deepsea Metro I & II 2011

• Ocean BlackHawk & BlackHornet 2013
• Bolette Dolphin 2013
• Noble Don Taylor, Noble Bob Douglas,
  Noble Sam Croft & TBN 2013/2014

• Renaissance, Resolute & Reliance 2013/2014
• Ocean BlackRhino & Ocean BlackLion 2014

Principal dimensions and main particulars

• Length overall 229.6 m
• Length between perpendiculars 210.0 m
• Breadth (moulded) 36.0 m
• Depth at side 17.8 m
• Depth at centerline (moulded) 18.3 m
• Scantling draught 12.0 m

• Displacement (scantling draught) 76,000 t
• Deadweight (scantling draught) 44,500 t

Classification

The vessel, including her machinery, equipment and outfitting is designed and constructed under special survey of Det Norske Veritas, to obtain the Class notation:

✠ 1A1 Ship-shaped Drilling Unit E0
DYNPOS-AUTRO DRILL CRANE HELDK

                           Courtesy of NOV, downloaded from youtube. Ocean Black Rhino

Maersk Drilling has it's drillship fleet with advanced design and capabilities to include additional features for high efficiency operation such as dual derrick and large subsea work and storage areas, these allows for efficient well construction and field development activities through parallel and offline activities.

Maersk Drillship

The 228-metre long drillships will be able to operate at water depths up to 3,650 m (12,000 ft) and will be capable of drilling wells of more than 12,000 m (40,000 ft) deep. With their advanced positioning control systems, the ships automatically maintain a fixed position in severe weather conditions with waves up to 11 metres high and wind speeds up to 26 metres per second.

Special attention has been paid to onboard safety. The drillships are operated by relatively small crews, and are equipped with Multi Machine Control on the drill floor, providing a large degree of automation that ensures safe operation and consistent performance.

The main features of the vessel include:

•Multi Machine Control allows all standard operations such as stand building and tripping to be conducted without personnel on the drill floor. This ensures a high level of safety as well as consistency across crews.

•Dual pipe handling maximises uptime and drilling efficiency. While one string is working in the well bore, a second string operates independently. This way casing, drill pipe or bottom hole assembly can be assembled/disassembled and stored in the set-back area, ready for subsequent transfer for use in the well bore, significantly reducing non-productive time.

•The travelling system(crown sheaves, travelling block and main well centre top drive) has a 1,250 tons capacity, enabling a total drilling depth of 12,200 m/40,000 ft.

•Dual mud system ensures efficient change between mud types and completion fluids.

•Spacious accommodation for 230 people and considerable storage and tank capacity for long range and extended time operational capabilities.

•Hands free riser for safe handling of stand building.

•Dedicated guided gantry cranes for BOP and subsea trees handling.

Courtesy of Maersk - Deepwater Drillship

Courtesy of Maersk Drilling

Maersk Drilling has been in the forefront of offshore drilling and she has operated jack-up drilling rigs for more than 40 years in the North Sea as well as in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Mexico.  It is a worldwide organisation with 110,000 employees and offices in 125 countries, headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. In addition to owning one of the world's largest shipping companies, comprising more than 500 container vessels, the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group is involved in a wide range of activities within the energy, shipbuilding, retail and manufacturing industries. KeppelFELS has already built a few high end drilling jack-ups and semi submersibles for Maersk and currently is still ongoing with the building of three CJ-70 jackup for the company.

Other Maersk facts:

 

•Second youngest fleet among peers

•First to drill a subsea well from a jack-up (wet BOP)

•Experienced in jacket installation using draw-works

•Extensive HP/HT experience
•Subsea work performed from our jack-ups
•Experienced in working with underbalanced drilling (UBD) tools

•Experienced in combined drilling and production on jack-ups

Rig Fleet - Courtesy of Maersk Drilling

Atwood Oceanics, Inc. announced in 2012, that one of its subsidiaries had entered into a turnkey construction contract with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. (“DSME”) to construct a third ultra-deepwater drillship, to be named the Atwood Admiral, at the DSME yard in South Korea.

Houston-based Atwood Oceanics has three ultra-deepwater drillships under construction in South Korea, to be delivered 2013, 2014 and 2015. Atwood’s wholly owned subsidiary, Alpha Eagle, entered into turnkey construction contracts with Daewoo Shipbuilding in 2011/12.

The three ships will be dynamically-positioned (DP3), with dual derricks, capable of operating in water depths to 12,000ft and drilling to 40,000ft. They will be classed by DNV and registered in the Marshall Islands.

Two yards in South Korea have received a steady stream of orders. More surprising is the volume of orders going to a shipyard in Brazil. Nina Rach explains the details.
The first construction contract, for the Atwood Advantage drillship, was announced in January 2011, with delivery scheduled for September this year, at a total cost of about $600 million. The ship will have enhanced technical capabilities: a seven-ram blowout preventer; three, 100 ton-knuckle boom cranes; a 165-ton active-heave ‘tree-running’ knuckle boom crane; and 200 person accommodation.

The second construction contract, for the Atwood Achiever, was announced in October 2011, and the drillship is to be delivered June 2014, at a cost of about $600 million. The Atwood Achiever will be similar to the previously announced Atwood Advantage.


The third construction contract, for the Atwood Admiral, was announced in September last year 2012, and the drillship is to be delivered in March 2015, at a cost of about $635 million, including two blowout preventers (“BOPs”), project management, drilling and handling tools and spares. The company recently increased the accordion under its senior secured credit facility by $200 million to a total of $550 million, which, together with available cash and cash flows from operations, is expected to fully fund the construction of the Atwood Admiral. Upon delivery, the Atwood Admiral will become the sixteenth mobile offshore drilling unit owned by the company.

The design of the Atwood Admiral will be identical to the previously ordered Atwood Advantage and Atwood Achiever – all three are DP-3 dynamically-positioned, dual derrick ultra-deepwater drillships rated to operate in water depths up to 12,000 feet and drill to a depth of up to 40,000 feet. The Atwood Admiral will also offer two seven-ram BOPs, three 100-ton knuckle boom cranes, a 165-ton active heave “tree-running” knuckle boom crane, and accommodations for up to 200 persons.

Seven ultra-deepwater drillships are under contract to be built at the Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz shipyard in Brazil.

Drillship Layout.pdf

Offshore drilling activities outlook still thriving ahead 2012

Barring the outcome of the severity of recession emanating from Europe, supply and inventories are low enough to keep oil prices firm. Oil prices also will likely to hold up if governments opt to print more money in response to over-leveraged situations in the Europe and US.

From a supply/demand standpoint and from a global money situation, oil will continue to be the main driver of activity, particularly in North America, where drilling is expected to see double-digit growth, mostly in the liquids-rich and oil plays.

Due to typically slower growth rates, the international market will see growth of 6% to 9% or less. Higher natural gas prices in most international markets will support continued production in shale and other unconventional gas plays, particularly in Australia and South America.

Courtesy of Rowan N-class

The global jackup market is probably poised for a rebound, as utilization has increased from 82% to 90%, signaling a possible increase in rig pricingand most jackup activity is driven by Brent oil prices, which have remained above $100/bbl to-date.

Asia and the Middle East are the lead currently in jackup market. About 100 jackups in Asia, including India, China and Southeast Asia, which is at the high end of the historic demand market.

The nuclear disaster in Japan and moves by Germany to shut down reactors also will bolster the outlook for LNG and oil prices are the driver for international activity simply because LNG internationally tends to be priced off oil prices or some function of oil prices.

Oil will continue to be the focus of activity in the GOM, but ongoing and heightened regulations and the still-slow pace by the US government to issue permits cloud the post-Macondo picture.

A positive development has been the recent large ultra-deepwater discoveries by ExxonMobil, Chevron and BHP Billiton in the highly pressurized Lower Tertiary geological formation.

There is a return to more activities in the Gulf, with operators allocating more time and resources in the geoscience departments for future developments as a result an increase in rig rates and support for more drilling going into 2012.

The active deepwater rig count in the Gulf had moved up to more than 20 by early October, higher than it was last year but still well below pre-Macondo levels. 

ENSCO 8500 Semi Rig

There are 23 (active deepwater) rigs in the Gulf now, but there are questions about what will happen when that work is completed. There is not a pipeline of other projects with permits in place. That increases the risk that rigs could once again be realizing reduced dayrates while waiting for work. Both operators and rig owners suffer under those circumstances.

Meanwhile, new regulations mandating such activities as unannounced spill drills and stronger disclosure requirements have been implemented. On 1 October, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) split into two agencies. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) will be responsible for inspections, enforcement and safety of offshore oil and gas operations. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will oversee energy leasing and planning on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), along with offshore leasing, resource evaluation, review and administration of oil and gas exploration and development plans.

The U.S. Gulf continues to thrive and grow. Witness the latest big contract going to Seadrill Offshore that's worth a whopping $4 billion for a total of 19 rig years for three ultradeepwater drillships for work in the Gulf of Mexico. Two of the drillships, the West Auriga and West Vela, won’t be delivered until February and May 2013 with startup set for later that year. The third drillship already is operating and will be named at a later date (kind of like a baseball trade). The potential contract also includes mobilization fees for the newbuild units.

Another driller, Noble Corp., signed a three-year contract for one of its ultradeepwater drillships under construction and set for delivery during the fourth quarter 2013. Anadarko Petroleum contracted the Noble Bob Douglas. Startup is set for the first quarter 2014. The day rate reported by Noble is $618,000 including mobilization revenue. Noble also has two newbuild drillships under construction that are still available.

Also, the newbuild deepwater semisubmersible Ensco 8506, the last of the seven rigs  that is set for delivery this year from KeppelFELS in Singapore, is contracted to Anadarko in the Gulf from December 2012 through June 2015.

 

Transocean’s drillship Discoverer Deep Seas received a three-year contract from March 2013 through March 2016 from Murphy at a day rate of $595,000. The rig is presently contracted to Chevron until March 2013 for $450,000 a day.

Other potential contracts could go to Rowan Companies, which has three newbuld drillships under construction with deliveries scheduled for 2013 and 2014.

With high (but fluctuating) oil prices and plenty of new potential acreage to drill due to two recent successful lease sales, operators and drilling contractors are expected to announce several additional long-term, high day-rate drilling contracts for rigs destined for the Gulf. If operators don’t hurry and charter rigs for delivery during 2013, they might have to wait to begin their drilling programs in 2014 as rig deliveries are snapped up.

Below courtesy of International Strategy and Investment Group :

Rig Outlook 2012 06-27ofs


Global Offshore outlook - courtesy of Douglas Westwood :-
Global Offshore Prospects



Semi Offshore 000 2008 Drillrig Poster - Courtesy Offshore Magazine

High-End Windmill installation vessel in the market

 

The year 2011 offshore wind power market was :

• 235 new offshore wind turbines, in nine wind farms, worth some €2.4

billion, were fully grid connected between 1 January and 31 December 2011, totalling 866 MW, 17 MW less than 2010.

• 246 turbines were erected during 2011, an average of 2.6 MW per day. 81 of these turbines are awaiting grid connection.

• Three experimental foating concepts were erected, one of which was a fullscale grid connected concept.

• Offshore work began on a further fve projects and preparatory onshore work on nine new projects.

Market outlook :

• Once completed, the nine offshore projects currently under construction will increase installed capacity by a further 2,375 MW, bringing cumulative capacity in Europe to 6,188 MW.

• Preparatory work has started on nine other projects, these have a cumulative installed capacity of 2,910 MW.

Trends:  Turbines, foundations, water depth and distance to shore  :

• The average offshore wind farm size in 2011 was almost 200MW up 29% (45MW) on the previous year.

• Average water depth in 2011 reached 22.8m, substantially more than 2010.

• Average distance to shore decreased, being 23.4km in 2011 compared to 27.1km the previous year. 

Mr Keesjan Cordia, CEO of Seafox said, "The fact that Seafox 5 has already received a charter for immediate work speaks of the strength of the MPSEP design, the reputation of Keppel-made products and Seafox's track record in multi-support service jackups across the world.

"We see that demand for such vessels will continue to rise with the commercialisation of 5MW wind turbines over the next few years. Seafox 5 is a new generation vessel which will be able to out-perform existing marine assets both on cost and efficiency in wind installation. In addition, this state-of-the-art vessel has been specifically designed to meet all the requirements of both the offshore wind and the oil & gas industries in harsh environments."

Measuring 50m wide and 151m end-to-end, Seafox 5 will be among a handful of purpose-built jackups with a 1200-tonne heavy lift capacity and capable of installing both turbines and large foundations exceeding 800 tonnes in weight.

Together with its environmental capabilities, stability coverage, deck space of 3,600m2 and a variable load of 7,000 MT, it is able to outperform most other jackups and be competitive with the floating heavy lift vessels.

                                                                      Courtesy of Windydigitalchina



Seafox 5 designed by KeppelFels OTD



Designed by Keppel's research and development arm, Offshore Technology Development (OTD), Seafox 5 is a self-propelled installation jackup vessel utilising Keppel FELS' proven jacking technology. Equipped with Dynamic Positioning 2 (DP-2) capabilities, the vessel is elevated above sea level by four legs which provide 30m of clearance between the legs & crane for easy cargo access.

Seafox 5 has a large carrying capacity of up to 12 x 3.6MW turbines, three jackets or four tripods at a time, which enhances the efficiency of constructing offshore wind farms.

In addition to being well-suited for servicing offshore wind farms, it also meets the stringent operating regulations of the offshore oil and gas industry and can support a wide range of related activities such as accommodation, hook-up, commissioning, well intervention, maintenance, construction and decommissioning.

Features of Seafox 5 - A KFELS MPSEP design         

Operates in deeper waters Max. 65-70 meters

Wider operating window All-year-round

Larger deck space 3600m2

Higher loading capacity 7000 metric tonnes

Higher carrying capacity Up to 12 x 3.6MW turbines, 6 6MW turbines, 3 jackets or 4 tripods

Larger crane capacity 1200 tonnes ( Liebherr )

Accommodates bigger crew 150 people

The Group services a global range of customers with a primary focus on the Southern North Sea in Europe. It has extensive experience operating and managing assets in this region, which is known for its stringent rules and regulations, and difficult environment.

                                                             Below clip with courtesy of  "Seajacks" :

Below with courtesy of Emre Uraz, Master thesis presentation on offshore wind turbine installation analyses :

Final Presentation Emre Uraz

SEAFOX 5 RR

More on Ultra-deepwater drilling Semi-rig

Scarabeo 9 is one of the largest offshore drilling rigs in the world. It is the first (and as of 2012 the only) Frigstad Engineering developed Frigstad D90 design rig ever built. The rig is able to operate at the water depth up to 11,811 feet (3,600 m), which is classified by the oil industry as "ultra-deepwater", and its drilling depth is 15,200 metres (49,900 ft). The water depth still suitable for its operations is twice as much as for Deepwater Horizon.The drilling equipment was provided by the Norwegian engineering company Aker Solutions.

Scarabeo 9 has a length of 115 metres (377 ft) and a breadth of 78 metres (256 ft). Its gross tonnage is 36,863, dead weight tonnage 23,965, and net tonnage 11,059 tonnes. The vessel is powered by eight Wärtsilä 12V32 diesel engines. It is equipped with two cranes.

DNV Class Notation:

1A1 Column-stabilised HELDK CRANE ECO F-AM DYNPOS-AUTRO   POSMOOR DRILL

Flag: Bahamas Signal Letters: C6YV7

Port: NASSAU
Owner: Saipem Maritime Asset Management Luxembourg S.A.R.L. GT : 36,863
NT (ITC 69): 11,059

Manager: SAIPEM SPA  DWT: 23,965
Yard: Yantai Raffles Shipyard Co. Ltd. (114020) Year of Build: 2011
Dynamic positioning:  DP class 3.
Eight 4.3 MW azimuth thrusters.
Mooring system: Four double drum winches with eight fairleads for connection to pre-set system.

Ram rig:  Hydraulic dual ram rig. Both main rig and auxiliary rig have 1,000 s.t capacity and full drilling capabilities.  Set back for 50,000 ft drill string/casing in 88-92 ft stands.
Rotary table: Two 60.5” with independent drive.
Top drives:  Two top drives with 1,000 s.t capacity.
Riser tensioners:  Six in line hydraulic cylinder riser tensioners.
BOP:

Two 18.75” x 10,000 psi wp annular preventors.

Five 18.75” x 15,000 psi wp ram preventors.
Riser:  10,000 ft of 21” riser.

The rig includes quarters for up to 200 workers. There is also a helicopter deck suitable for MI8, S61, and EH101 helicopters. The rig has been described by the industry sources as "the latest technology for deepwater drilling operations".

The rig cost US$750 million to build. It was constructed at the Yantai Raffles Shipyard in Yantai, China. The contract was signed on 5 April 2006, the keel was laid on 1 April 2008, and originally the construction was to be completed in September 2009. After several delays at the Yantai Raffles shipyard it was shipped to the Keppel FELS shipyard in Singapore for extra work completion in 2010.

The rig was delivered to Saipem on 25 August 2011. On her maiden voyage to Cuba, Scarabeo 9 was escorted around the Cape of Good Hope by the Fairmount Marine owned tugboat Fairmount Glacier.


More on Semi rig design :

Two years ago, Keppel FELS delivered the third DSS 21 deepwater semisubmersible drilling rig to Maersk Drilling (Maersk) 43 days ahead of schedule and with a perfect safety record, garnering a bonus of $400,000.

Tong Chong Heong, CEO of Keppel O&M, said, “We are proud to be Maersk’s preferred partner for its fleet expansion plans. The safe and early completion of Maersk Deepwater Semi III attests to the astute choice made by Maersk to build the premium fleet with Keppel FELS, as well as the solidarity and calibre of our teams working hand in glove with one another. The success of this Series of semis is built upon our long term partnership with thought-leading operators such as Maersk, who have provided the necessary platforms for our technologies to gain market ascendance".

"The demand for modern drillings rigs has increased over the past years concurrently with the growing technical challenges we are faced with in the drilling industry. The search for new finds is moving to deeper waters and areas with complex soil conditions and more advanced drilling rigs are needed to meet those challenges. Our ultra deepwater semisubmersibles are well equipped to meet this demand,” Mr Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling added.

DSS Series rigs are highly cost effective exploration units capable of drilling down 10,000 m (30,000 ft) wells and operating at a water depth of 3,000 m (10,000 ft). The Series also features a dynamic positioning system, with the ability to attach to a prelaid mooring system.

DSS Series rigs are particularly well suited to drill deep and complicated wells in areas such as offshore West Africa, Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast Asia, and may be further customised to meet the unique challenges of each location.

• Length Overall approximately 117.00 m

• Length of Pontoon 114.50 m
• Breadth Outside Pontoon 78.00 m
• Pontoon Breadth 17.50 m
• Pontoon Height 10.00 m

• Columns 17.00 x 17.50 m

• Longitudinal Distance between CL of Columns 61.50 m
• Transverse Distance between CL of Columns 60.50 m
• Length of Main Deck 78.50 m
• Breadth of Main Deck 78.00 m
• Transit draft 9.7 m

• Survival draft 16.00 m
• Operational draft (min.) 18.50 m
• Operational draft (max.) 20.50 m
• Transit displacement(Approx.) 38,960 Mt
• Survival displacement(Approx.) 48,295 Mt

Semi Rig Equipment1


Courtesy of Maersk Drilling