GlobalSantaFe's new ultra-deepwater drillship, to be constructed in Ulsan, Korea, by Hyundai Heavy Industries for delivery in 2010.
GlobalSantaFe Corporation has made an agreement with Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ltd. (HHI) to build a new ultra-deepwater exploration and development drillship for
delivery in September 2010. Shipyard construction costs are expected to
total approximately $740m.
The drillship will be constructed in Ulsan, Korea, under a turnkey
agreement, which provides that HHI will contract directly with equipment
suppliers and deliver the drillship to GlobalSantaFe for a fixed price.
The new vessel is an enhanced version of GlobalSantaFe's highly
successful GSF C.R. Luigs and GSF Jack Ryan drillships, which entered
service in 2000. Like those rigs, it will be capable of drilling in water
depths up to 10,000 feet and is upgradeable to 12,000 ft. In addition,
the
new rig will feature advanced dynamic positioning capabilities, triple
activity load paths, a derrick rated for 4 million pounds, dual
liquid-storage systems, larger quarters and an efficient deck design that
provides significantly more space than previous-
generation drillships.