NEW VESSELS, RIGS & UPGRADES

Marshall DeLuca
Houston

Ramform Banff FPSO ready

Hyundai Mipo Dockyard has delivered the first FPSO of Ramform design to PGS for use in Conoco's Banff Field in the UK sector of the North Sea. The Ramform B380 measures 120 meters in length with a stern beam of 54 meters. This allows for a large deck with a load capacity up to 16,000 tons. Excluding topsides modules, the light ship weight is 10,000 tons and is expected to produce 95,000 b/d of oil with a 120,000 bbl storage capacity.

The FPSO also features a unique hull design that allows the vessel to maintain bow to weather with minimal thruster power. An aerodynamic flare tower equipped with a rudder augments the thruster to assist in trimming of the vessel's heading. Work on the B380 began in the first quarter of last year and was completed in 13 months, ahead of the planned schedule. The vessel has since been moved to the McNulty yard in the UK for hookup and installation of the topside production modules and other deck fittings. Upon completion it will head to the Banff Field to begin operations.

World's largest seismic vessel

In March 1999, Norwegian shipbuilder Mjellem & Karlsen plans to deliver the world's largest seismic vessel to Geco-Prakla. The 10,600-ton, code named project SS2000, will have 40% more equipment storage capacity than other vessels. This will enable it to hold the equipment necessary to offer a survey footprint of more than 11 sq km.

The SS2000 will have a traditional double-skin hull design, but will have twice the pulling power and two and a half times the storage capacity of conventional seismic vessels. The SS2000 will feature a 39-meter-wide back deck with 20 towing points, enabling the vessel to provide the "streamer carpet" necessary for high-resolution surveys. The vessel has also been designed to use less fuel per unit area during streamer deployment using low-drag monowing technology. This technology allows the company to offer cost-effective surveys with bigger spreads.

The vessel will be powered by decoupled diesel/electric propulsion units which will make it acoustically quieter than other boats. The hull will have a 700-mm impact zone to provide damage stability and better environmental protection in the event of a collision.

Bookings for the SS2000 will begin this summer. The company expects that the vessel will be used for large 3D exploration surveys of 5,000-10,000 sq km in areas such as the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil.

Three barges For Venezuela

TDI-Halter has contracted with Sedco Forex for the delivery of three cantilever drilling and integrated servicing barges valued at about $30 million for operations in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. The barges, specially designed for drilling and well re-entry to depths of 8,000 ft, measure 230 ft in length, 75 ft in width, and 15 ft in depth.

The vessels feature a cantilever drill floor that extends 50 ft over the stern and 40 ft off the water. The rigs will be outfitted with a centralized control cabin, first class accommodations for 44 people, a 35 metric ton capacity AmClyde model 1000 pedestal mounted desk crane, and a helideck. Delivery is scheduled for June, August, and September of this year. Sedco Forex will tow the barges across the Gulf of Mexico to Venezuela.

Pierce FPSO conversion

Work to convert the multipurpose shuttle tanker Berge Hugin to an FPSO for use on Enterprise Oil's Pierce development in the UK North Sea has begun. The preliminary work is being carried out at the Blohm & Voss yard in Hamburg, Germany where the processing facilities are being installed.

The work at the Hamburg yard is expected to be completed in 5-6 weeks, after which the vessel will be transferred to the Aker McNulty yard in the UK for fitting of the processing equipment. The vessel is set to arrive on the field in May at which time the submerged turret production buoy and its associated mooring system (supplied by Hitec Marine) will be installed.

The Berge Hugin, owned 50% by Navion, a subsidiary of Statoil, and 50% by Bergesen shipping group, was the world's first multipurpose shuttle tanker when it was delivered in February of last year. Enterprise has contracted the vessel for five years plus the option for extensions following the conversion. Production on the Pierce Field is expected to begin on the first of July.

CORRECTION:

The February issue featured the following with an incorrect photo. The corrected version appears here.

Workers at Samsung in South Korea [17,723 bytes] lower a hull section into place for the Conoco/Reading & Bates ultra-deepwater drillship.

Vessel Briefs:

Oryx Energy, Marathon Oil, and Murphy Oil have entered into a five-year contract with Noble Drilling for a deepwater semisubmersible rig capable of drilling in up to 6,000 ft of water. Terms of the contract are five years plus options. Delivery is set for the second quarter of 1999.
Global Marine has purchased the third generation semisubmersible Stena Forth drilling rig from Coflexip Stena Offshore for $150 million. The rig is equipped to work in water depths of 1,800-3,000 ft with modifications.
Oceaneering International Services Limited has purchased the production barge San Jacinto for about $7 million. The San Jacinto can process up to 10,000 b/d of oil and has a storage capacity of 53,000 bbl.
The Byford Dolphin semisubmersible has been docked for upgrading. Repair and maintenance is expected to take two weeks. The vessel was drilling an appraisal well for Statoil on its Theta West Field in the North Sea.
Kværner Govan shipyard has won a contract to build two Norwegian platform supply vessels for UK$30 million from Farstad Supply. The vessels are of a design used by the shipyard for three earlier vessels.