First North Sea Rig semi close to completion in China

Dec. 03, 2015   + + +   North Sea Rig’s first semisubmersible drilling rig, North Dragon, recently underwent a naming ceremony at the CIMC Raffles yard in Yantai, China. This and sister newbuilds Beacon Atlantic and Beacon Pacific are all based on the GM4-D design, adapted for operations in harsh environments. The winterized rigs will be able to operate in temperatures down to -25°C (-13°F) to warrant the Ice-T class designation, making them suitable for operations in Arctic areas such as the Barents Sea offshore northern Norway. They are also suited to water depths up to 1,200 m (3,937 ft) and can drill to depths of 8,000 m (26,247 ft).

All are built in compliance with NORSOK and NPD standards and to meet zero emission requirements.

Steel cutting for the Beacon Pacific started in June, and the completed rig is expected to be ready for delivery at the end of 2017. All three newbuilds will feature technologies provided by Global Maritime (design and concept); Kongsberg Maritime (integrated control system with DP-3, thruster control, navigation, marine automation, emergency shutdown system, and fire and gas system); NOV (drilling facilities); Siemens (software/integration and electro systems); and Rolls-Royce (engines and thrusters).

The largest shareholder of North Sea Rigs is China International Marine Containers, which is in turn owned mainly by COSCO and China Merchants Group.

Source: Offshore Staff - Offshore Magazine