VESSELS, RIGS, & SURFACE SYSTEMS

David Paganie • Houston

Jurong wins FPSO conversion contract

MODEC has awarded Jurong Shipyard a $112-million contract to convert the VLCC tankerOhdoh into an FPSO for deployment on the Jubilee field offshore Ghana. The vessel will be renamed FPSO Kwame Nkrumah MV21.

Jurong’s scope of work includes engineering, installation, and integration of 18 topside modules; installation of external turret and power generation; accommodation upgrading; as well as piping and electrical cabling works.

The FPSO is scheduled for delivery in early 2010. It will be able to process more than 120,000 b/d of oil, and to inject more than 230,000 b/d of water and 160 MMcf/d of production gas. It has capacity to store 1.6 MMbbl of oil and is designed to remain on station for up to 20 years without dry docking.

Edison Chouest to expand deepwater fleet

Edison Chouest Offshore plans to design and build a dozen 300-ft (91-m), 5,300-DWT deepwater diesel-electric offshore supply vessels.

The current Chouest 280-ft (85-m) supply vessels feature two CAT diesel engines, rated at 7,200 hp. The new design will feature four 1,700 kW generators providing power to two 2,500 kW variable speed electric motors. The vessels will also have four 1,050 kW tunnel thrusters, two at the bow and two at the stern.

The new design has an increased length of 20 ft (6 m) over the current series, while the beam remains at 60 ft (18 m) and the depth increases from 24 to 26 ft (7 to 8 m). The deadweight tonnage increases from 4,750 LT to 5,300 LT, and the deck cargo capacity increases from 10,000 to 11,000 sq ft (929 to 1,021 sq m).

Tank capacities also increase in several instances: liquid mud capacity increases from 13,000 bbl to 16,000 bbl, and rig water available onboard increases from 105,000 gal to 571,000 gal. The new design also features increased storage for specialized chemical products.

All necessary equipment for the first six diesel-electric vessels has been ordered, with equipment for the second half of the new OSV fleet currently being negotiated, the company says.

Chouest expects first steel will be cut late in the third quarter. Ten OSVs will be constructed at Chouest’s US-based shipyards, while the remaining two will be built at the Chouest-owned Navship yard in Navegantes, Brazil.

DB50 upgrade under way

J. Ray McDermott is upgrading its derrick/pipelay bargeDB50 by adding new thrusters and increasing its electrical power supply.

The barge will have its entire power plant replaced with new diesel-engine generator sets totaling 19.2 MW, new switchboards, and a power management/alarm system. The vessel’s existing four 2.4 MW controlled pitch thrusters will be replaced with six new 2.4 MW fixed pitch/variable AC drive thrusters, which will provide 44 tons (40 metric tons) of thrust each. In addition, the freshwater and saltwater cooling system and the supply/exhaust ventilation system will be upgraded in both engine and thruster machinery spaces.

J. Ray’sDB50 is capable of lifting up to 4,400 tons (3,991 metric tons), and laying pipe through Reel-lay and J-lay up to 20-in. (51-cm) in diameter, in more than 9,000 ft (2,743 m) of water.

Seahawk spin-off completed

Pride International has completed the spin-off of Seahawk Drilling, a former wholly owned subsidiary that owns 20 mat-supported jackup rigs operating in the Gulf of Mexico. According to Pride President and CEO Louis A Raspino, Pride plans to position Seahawk as the industry’s natural gas drilling alternative with a concentration in the shallow water GoM.

“Following the sale of an estimated $1.7 billion in non-strategic assets and over $3 billion invested or committed to expansion in the deepwater segment, the separation of Seahawk Drilling completes the transition phase of our company,” Raspino says. “During this transition, we successfully executed the strategic redirection of Pride International by focusing our asset base in the floating rig segment, especially deepwater drilling, where we believe the best long-term growth prospects reside in the offshore industry.”

Kiewit delivers OPTI-EX hull

Exmar has taken delivery of its newbuild OPTI-EX semisubmersible hull from Kiewit Shipyard. The facility will remain at the yard in Texas until a contract has been secured, Exmar says. The company has submitted two proposals for assignments in the North Sea, and it is also marketing the platform for use off Brazil, West Africa, and in the Gulf of Mexico.