David Paganie • Houston
Deepwater rig slated for Brazil
Keppel FELS is on track to deliverGold Star to Queiroz Galvão Óleo e Gás (QGOG) later this year. The semisubmersible will be the first DSS 38 rig to enter the market and will support Petrobras’ exploration and production activities offshore Brazil.
DSS 38 is rated to drill depths of 30,000 ft (9144 m) below the mud line in over 9,000 ft (2,743 m) water depth. It has an operational displacement of over 38,000 metric tons (41,888 tons) and can accommodate 130 people. It also features both vertical and horizontal riser storage and is configured with eight 3000-kW azimuth thrusters to keep the rig in position.
Currently under construction at Keppel FELS, QGOG’s second DSS 38 unit,Alpha Star, is scheduled for delivery in mid-2011.
Meanwhile, Keppel has delivered its second of three DSS 21 rigs,Maersk Discoverer, to Maersk Drilling. The rig has been contracted by Woodside Energy for work off Australia for three years.
The first DSS 21 rig,Maersk Developer, was delivered in June 2008. The third rig of the series is slated for delivery in 2Q 2010.
Noble contracts SBM for Aseng FPSO
Noble has signed a letter of agreement with SBM Offshore for the provision, lease, and operation of an FPSO. It will be moored at the Aseng field in 1,000 m (3,281 ft) of water on Block I, offshore Equatorial Guinea.
The FPSO, which will be based on the conversion of a VLCC hull, will serve the Aseng field and establish a liquids hub for Noble’s future developments in the area. The vessel will have capacity for 120,000 b/d of liquids, including processing of 80,000 b/d of oil, injection of up to 150,000 b/d of water, as well as handling 170 MMcf/d of gas. The unit will have storage capacity for 1.6 MMbbl of oil including up to 500,000 bbl of condensate.
The contract, beginning in late 2012, covers an initial 15-year period, with optional extensions of up to five years.
In other FPSO news, StatoilHydro has awarded Sevan Marine a contract to study the potential application of a floating platform for an undisclosed field development. The study will be performed during the second last half of this year and focus on demonstrating the feasibility of the Sevan cylindrical FPSO bridge-linked to a wellhead platform.
Meanwhile, the hull for the Pazflor FPSO has been launched at DSME’s Okpo shipyard on Geoje Island. The 120,000-ton (108,862-metric ton) FPSO has capacity to process 220,000 b/d of oil and store 2 MMbbl of oil. The vessel is scheduled to arrive off Angola in the first half of 2011, for installation on the Total-operated Pazflor field.
IHC Merwede launches heavy-lift vessel
IHC Merwede has launched the heavy-lift vesselOleg Strashnov for Seaway Heavy Lifting. The vessel is designed for platform installation and removal, subsea construction, and special projects.
The deckhouse of the vessel was transported to the yard in Krimpen aan den IJssel in two parts. The whole deckhouse, with capacity for 220 people, was then lifted onto the vessel, after which the helicopter landing platform was placed on top of the bridge complex.
The vessel has 5,000-metric ton (5,512-ton) crane capacity at 32-m (105-ft) outreach. Additional lifting is provided by 800-ton (726-metric ton) and 200-ton (181-metric ton) auxiliary hoists and a 110-ton (99.8-metric ton) whip hoist.
The vessel is 183 m (600 ft) long, 37.8/47 m (124/154 ft) wide (depending on the operating mode), and 18.2 m (59.7 ft) deep, with an operating draft of 13.5 m (44.3 ft) in crane lifting mode and 8.5 m (27.9 ft) for transiting and pipelay.
Prosafe secures long-term charters
Demand for semisubmersible accommodation rigs remains strong in the Mexican sector of the GoM, according to Prosafe. The high level of offshore activity is due to Pemex’s need to sustain production from the Cantarell field.
Seven of Prosafe’s rigs are under bareboat charters to Interpetroleum Services, operating on Pemex’s behalf. TheSafe Bristolia began a one-year contract in March, with the Safe Concordia starting a 240-day contract in May. Among the other five, the Safe Hibernia is chartered though May 2011, and the Safe Britannia until January 2013.
In the North Sea, operators need Prosafe’s rigs mainly to support maintenance and modifications on mature-field fixed installations, many receiving new production from satellite fields.
In August, theSafe Scandinavia started a 65-day job for Shell in the UK North Sea, after completing a five-year special periodic survey at a yard in Invergordon, northern Scotland. Also in the UK sector, the Safe Caledonia is contracted to Total through September 2010.
MSVRegalia started an 18-month assignment for BP at Valhall, a field currently undergoing a major re-development, while the Safe Esbjerg will operate for Maersk in the Danish sector through June 2011. The outlook remains healthy in the North Sea, Prosafe adds, with some mature field programs likely to require additional accommodation support.
Elsewhere, theSafe Astoria is laid up currently at the Kemaman yard in Malaysia, but will start a new 243-day assignment for Shell in October off the Philippines.
