Feature 2 | SOUTH EAST ASIA


rigours of operation in the storm-prone Black Sea. According to its own national estimates, Ukraine may be sitting on energy reserves totalling 1,200 billion m3


of natural


gas and 220 million tonnes of oil and gas condensate. Built to the specifications of Keppel FELS’ DSS 38U design, each rig will incorporate durable grades of steel, with increased thickness, around the structural design of the hull and pontoon, whilst onboard machinery will be ‘Winterised’, and advanced heating systems installed, to prevent equipment and pipes from freezing in extremely cold temperatures. Te DSS 38U class also utilises double-


skin columns for enhanced protection to the rig’s machinery spaces, in the event of a collision; deploys eight 3,000kW azimuthing thrusters, to maintain position in tempestuous wind and wave conditions; and is capable of drilling 9,100m+ below the mud line in water depths of more than 2,740m. Te rig has an operational displacement of more than 38,000tonnes and the capacity to accommodate up to 30 persons, and has met ABS’ dynamic positioning 2 (DP2) classification requirements.


Productivity booster In January this year, Keppel FELS also delivered the first of a series of 20 rigs to Vision Drilling, a subsidiary of Dynamic Offshore Drilling, all of which are scheduled to be handed over to the operator before 2013 is out. Te first delivery, christened Dynamic Vision, is a KFELS B class jack-up rig, which will be operated by Dynamic Offshore Drilling’s subsidiary Deepwater Drilling & Services, the latter having secured a contract with India’s National Oil Company & Natural Gas Corporation. Dynamic Vision has been customised to cope with the Indian environment and is capable of operating in water depths of approximately 107m and drilling down to 9,145m. Te design includes Keppel’s high capacity rack and pinion elevating system and self-positioning fixation system. Keppel FELS shows little sign of slowing


down; in February 2013, the group appointed Finland-based PEMA Welding Automation (Pemamek) to supply a state-of-the-art welding system to its facilities, including an extensive flat panel line and a supporting micro panel line, both of which can be upgraded with robotic solutions to improve


22 Offshore orders rife at Korean yards


Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) is on track to complete and deliver a dive support vessel (DSV) to offshore operator Subsea 7 in 2015. The vessel is set to feature a length of 123m, a breadth of 24m and a depth of 10.5m, and will be equipped with six main engines, housed in three separate engine rooms, to assist her in attaining dynamic positioning class III (DP3) status. The DSV will feature accommodation for up to 110 people, and will deploy an 18-person saturation system, supplied by Drass and rated for depths of 300m. In addition, the dive team will be able to count on two moon pool-deployed three- man diving bells and a pair of 18-man hyperbaric lifeboats. The vessel will feature a deck area totalling approximately 980m2


, which will


be capable of supporting up to 1,000tonnes of equipment, and which will be bolstered by the presence of a 120tonne active heave compensation knuckle- boom crane. Meanwhile, STX Offshore & Shipbuilding is working on an ultra-deepwater drillship for Norway’s Sigma Drilling, as part of a US$672 million contract – set to climb to a value of US$3.5 billion, should Sigma Drilling exercise an option for an additional four drillships. The vessel is under construction at the company’s yard in Jinhae, Korea. The drillship will feature a length of 230m and a width of 38m, and will be capable of operating in water depths of up to 3,657m, drilling down to nearly 12,200m. Other features are set to include two blow out preventer (BOP) stacks, each rated 15,000psi, with options to upgrade to 20,000bpi versions, which, if taken up, STX Offshore & Shipbuilding claims, would make these the first drillships of their type to operate with BOP stacks of this performance level. Delivery of this initial vessel is scheduled for Q2 2015.


the yard’s rate of productivity. PEMA welding stations and portals will utilise the latest welding technology from Lincoln Electric, for increased accuracy and quality. It is Keppel FELS’ long-term hope that


this technological revamp will help to reduce overall rig production costs, increasing further its reputation as one of the world’s leading producers of offshore rigs. System installation will be carried out by Pemamek while overall yard activity continues uninterrupted, a spokesperson for the latter group claims.


Offshore orders In addition to overseeing FPSO/FSO conversions, ST Marine, another reputable Singaporean yard, had just commenced construction, as Offshore Marine Technology was going to press, of a pair of anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels for Swire Pacific Offshore, which are due for delivery in Q2 and Q3 2014. Tese vessels follow on from a four-AHTS vessel order previously signed between the two parties. Each vessel will measure 92m in overall length by 22m


in beam, will feature updated DP technology and will meet the requirements of the Code of Safety for Special Purpose Ships, 2008. Meanwhile, Jurong Shipyard, another


Sembcorp Marine subsidiary, closed 2012 with a contract, worth just over US$805 million, to design the seventh in a series of ultra-deepwater drillships for offshore operator Sete Brasil, all seven of which will be chartered to Brazilian energy giant Petrobras for a period of 15 years. Te vessels, to be built in Brazil along the


lines of the yard’s Jurong Espadon class, will be capable of operating in water depths of 3,048m and drilling to depths of just under 12,200m. Speaking aſter the order for the seventh


vessel was made official, Wong Wen Sun, president and chief executive at Sembcorp Marine, said that the contract would make his company “a leading builder for drillships in Brazil”. Delivery dates for the seven vessels are set to run from Q2 2015 to Q4 2019, although the seventh, most recent drillship unit order is expected to be delivered before the end of Q3 2016. OMT


Offshore Marine Technology 1st Quarter 2013


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