Offshore staff
DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Aramco’s latest jackup should have started drilling operations.
Keppel FELS in Singapore completed the rig three months ahead of schedule.
It is the second rig owned and fully operated by Saudi Aramco, and the first designed and purpose built for service on fieldsoffshore Saudi Arabia.
The rig will be able to accommodate 114 personnel. Its jackup legs are more than 400 ft (122 m) long, allowing it to operate in the deepest Saudi offshore fields ofMarjan, Karan, Arabiya, and Hasbah, with capability to drill to subsurface depths of up to 30,000 ft (9,144 m).
Other features include six plus one engines/generator sets, which can be used to power the entire rig. Additionally, there is an emergency generator for backup.
The company says the 54-motor jacking system should allow the rig to carry a greater load than normal 36-motor rigs. Its water cooling system should facilitate faster heat removal than traditional rig air cooling systems.
1/30/2013
