Rig Mat

Arduous GoM Drill Rig Salvage Accomplished

Inland Salvage successfully delivers salvaged jack-up drill rig which sank last winter in the Gulf of Mexico. In mid-December 2012 a retired jack-up drill rig under tow from Fourchon, LA to be dismantled in Texas began taking on water. Despite being in the crowded waters of the oilfield, the tow captain was able to maneuver the sinking rig into a little used section of the Vermillion Block where the seas finally washed over the main deck and forced the rig to the ocean floor. Inland Salvage Incorporated (ISI), based in Harvey, LA, was awarded the salvage contract and began dedicating assets towards the effort, teaming up with Titan Salvage of Pompano Beach Fl. Titan's naval architects began performing stability calculations while ISI and Titan personnel mobilized to the wreck site onboard a 185 class lift boat which could remain on location even during the Gulf's winter storms. The Salvage Master, Gordon Olson, determined it would be best to approach the salvage from two fronts. One dive team would work to restore buoyancy to the barge and mud mat, while the second team would attempt to reestablish control of the now submerged jacking system.  Salvage Engineers developed an external hydraulic supply and control unit that was connected to the existing jacking system by divers working in the confined spaces of the rig. At the same time, divers penetrated into the barge tanks to install salvage pumps and restore the rig's dewatering system for the mud mat.

Bollinger Increases Port Fourchon Capabilities

Bollinger’s repair and conversion shipyard at Port Fourchon, La., on the Gulf of Mexico, can now accommodate rigs, ships and boats with drafts to 27 ft., now that dredging is complete from the sea buoys in the Gulf to Bollinger’s Fourchon 350-ft. slip, which has also been deepened. “The deepened waterway and slip permit us to offer services to larger jack-up and matted rigs as well as bigger ships and boats. We also have additional shore power providing electrical power for vessels’ hotel

Woldwide Offshore Rig Utilization Plummets

Offshore rig utilization fell in the world's most active markets during the week ending July 6, according to ODS-Petrodata Group. U.S. Gulf of Mexico rig utilization dropped 1.5 percent to 85.8 percent this week, with 182 rigs under contract out of a total of 212. European rig utilization fell 1.0 percent to 95.1 percent this week with 97 of the region's 102 rigs under contract, according to ODS, while worldwide rig utilization fell 0.7 percent to 89

Offshore Rig Counts Mixed

The worldwide offshore rig demand declined since last week, according to Offshore Data Services' weekly mobile offshore rig count. While demand in the U.S. Gulf improved, European rig demand continues to suffer. In European waters, 74 offshore drilling rigs are under contract this week, a one-rig net decline from last week, and a 10-rig fall from two months ago. The 106-rig European offshore drilling fleet's utilization rate is 69.8 percent

FGH And Ocean Rig Sign Cooperation Agreement

Friede Goldman Halter (FGH) and Ocean Rig have signed a cooperation agreement related to the completion and delivery of Ocean Rig's Bingo 9000-1 and Bingo 9000-2 offshore drilling rigs, which are currently being outfitted and Friede Goldman Offshore's Pascagoula, Miss. shipyard. The agreement results from a joint effort of Friede Goldman and Ocean Rig to develop an acceptable plan and schedule for the completion and delivery of the two fifth-generation rigs

Offshore Rig Count

U.S. Gulf Rig Count Hits 20-Month High The Gulf of Mexico rig count continues to rebound, and this week reached its highest level since July 1998, according to Offshore Data Services' weekly mobile offshore rig count. The Gulf of Mexico rig count is expected to continue to rise as the year progresses. On March 24, 155 of the 198 mobile offshore drilling rigs in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico were under contract. The week's tally represents a four-rig increase over the previous week's count

GlobalSantaFe to Resume Operations in Kuwait

Worldwide oil and gas drilling contractor GlobalSantaFe Corporation is preparing to resume drilling operations in Kuwait. "After careful risk analysis and continued communications with our client, we believe that conditions in the area have stabilized to a level that allows us to resume the safe operation of our rigs," said Jon Marshall, Chief Operating Officer. Six rigs were secured and placed on standby mode effective March 17, 2003

UK’s North Sea Faces Rig Shortage

The government is putting together an action plan to solve a rig shortage crisis in the North Sea, but experts claim that no new rigs are available for hire until the end of 2007, the Sunday Herald reported. Surging demand for equipment is caused by the high oil price, which has made previously abandoned discoveries economically viable again. The shortage of exploring rigs has forced the industry and the Department of Trade and Industry to come up with a plan, yet to be published

Rig Utilization Up In GOM

Worldwide offshore rig utilization fell slightly during the week ending January 12, but ticked higher in the U.S. Gulf, according to Offshore Data Services (ODS). The number of worldwide mobile offshore drilling rigs under contract fell by one to 556 of the world's 648. Worldwide offshore rig utilization fell to 85.8 percent. The number of rigs being used in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico fell to 179 under contract out of 208, with utilization down to 86.1 percent

North American Rig Count Drops 8

The number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in North America fell by eight during the week ending November 3, according to oil services firm Baker Hughes Inc. The number of rigs operating in the United States fell by six to 763 to 1,078 compared to 763 a year ago, while the number of rigs in Canada fell by two to 362, compared with last year's 336, according to Baker Hughes. In the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the number of rigs searching for oil and gas fell by three to 148 compared to 113