Bop News

Esgian reports various drilling contractors disclosing details of discussions with Saudi Aramco regarding jackup contract suspensions in its Week 14 Rig Analytics Market Roundup. These contractors include Shelf Drilling, ADES, Borr Drilling, Arabian Drilling, COSL, and ARO Drilling.Meanwhile, Transocean, Noble, and COSL rigs have firmed up new work in the US Gulf of Mexico, Suriname, and the North Sea, respectively.Report overview:ContractsShelf Drilling has received a notice of suspension of operations on four jackup rigs from a customer in the Middle East.

Esgian reports rig-related updates from Dolphin Drilling, Diamond Offshore, and Seadrill in its Week 9 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report Outline:ContractsDespite Tullow Oil’s recent announcement that it would take a break from drilling offshore Ghana, Noble Corp. has stated that there has been no contract termination announcement and that its 12,000-ft drillship Noble Venturer is currently still contracted to Tullow into March 2025.Masirah Oil Ltd has signed a rig contract with…

Marijana Sosic, Manager, Technical Marketing at Transocean, discusses some of the outstanding features of the Deepwater Atlas – Built in Singapore at Sembcorp Marine's Jurong Shipyard and flying the Marshall Islands flag – and sister-ship Deepwater Titan , which together represent an investment of more than $2 billion.The Deepwater Atlas was launched this year in Singapore. What, specifically, is so special about it?The Deepwater Atlas is the first of its kind eighth-generation drillship that will offer 20,000 psi well control capabilities and a 3.4 million pound hoisting capacity.

Liberty Green Logistics LLC, (Lake Success, NY) formed an offshore wind supply chain consortium to provide "Factory to Farm" logistical support and integrated supply chain services to the U.S. offshore wind industry. The consortium is on a non-exclusive basis and available as a one stop shop for developers, OEM’s, and EPC contractors, providing services ranging across ports & terminals, vessels, and supply chain logistics. Since the inception in May 2021 Liberty Green has enrolled 17 consortium members…

Offshore installation contractor DEME Offshore has said it has secured a +$1.1 billion Balance of Plant (BoP) contract for the construction of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project in a consortium with Prysmian. The contract, with a total value amounting to +$1.9 Billion, has been awarded by Dominion Energy Virginia, a subsidiary of Dominion Energy Inc., to a consortium, made up of DEME Group and Prysmian.According to DEME Offshore, the agreement is the largest offshore wind installation contract ever awarded in the U.S.

Italian oilfield services giant Saipem has chartered a newbuild drillship directly from South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard.Saipem expects the drillship - named Samsung Santorini - to be delivered in November 2021, when the Italian firm will take the 7th generation rig on a two-year charter. No dayrate details have been shared. Recent fixtures for 6th/7gen rigs saw dayrates in the $190.000-$210.000 per day range, according to Bassoe data.While Saipem did not explicitly say it…

CDWE, a joint venture company between Taiwanese company CSBC and Belgian offshore contractor DEME, has initiated the early works contract for the very first floating heavy lift and installation vessel to be built in Taiwan.To be named ‘Green Jade’, the vessel will be built at CSBC in Taiwan for delivery in 2022 for deployment in the growing local offshore wind market.CDWE, Taiwan’s first offshore wind EPCI contractor, was established in February 2019  by CSBC, the largest shipbuilder in Taiwan…

Valaris, the world's largest offshore drilling company by fleet size, is set to lose one of the most lucrative contracts in the offshore drilling industry today after it recently accidentally dropped a blowout preventer stack to seabed offshore Angola.The contract, at a day rate of $620,000 per day, is with the French oil major Total for the drillship Valaris DS-8. The Samsung GF12000 designed drilling rig has been drilling for Total since 2015.As previously reported, Valaris earlier in March said it had accidentally dropped Blowout Preventer Stack to the seafloor of Angola, while the rig was moving between well locations. It then warned the customer might seek to terminate the contract as a result of the incident.In an update on Thursday…

Taiwanese marine joint venture (JV) company CSBC-DEME Wind Engineering (CDWE) has signed two contracts for the transport and installation of foundations and turbines at the 300MW Zhong Neng offshore wind farm (OWF).The JV between Taiwanese outfit CSBC and Belgian contractor DEME Offshore will aim to deliver the project, owned by China Steel Corporation (CSC), in 2024.The 300 MW Zhong Neng offshore wind farm, developed by China Steel Corporation, is planned for completion in 2024. In order to implement the localisation policy required by the Taiwanese government, the Zhong Neng Wind Power Corporation Preparatory Office has worked closely with CDWE, with the aim of maximising local content.

A new report jointly produced by the Port of London Authority (PLA) and Greater London Authority (GLA) says a new vision could maximize the contribution the River Thames makes to culture in the UK capital. ‘’ sets out how clear direction could make the most of the river’s cultural attractions for the benefit of the city’s population and visitors alike.The report aligns with GLA’s priorities for promoting the city and the PLA’s wider Thames Vision, which was launched in 2016, setting out six targets for the economic, environmental and social resurgence of the river, to be delivered by 2035.

Classification society DNV GL reports it has signed a contract for the first Cyber Secure class notation with Stena Drilling. The contract covers the application of the “Basic+” notation to the drillship Stena IceMAX and includes the vessel’s dynamic positioning, drilling and blowout prevention systems (BOP). It will be integrated with Stena Drilling’s own safety management systems.“Being cyber secure is an important step towards ensuring the digital integrity of our vessels, making sure that we take all the necessary safety precautions for our personnel and systems…

Weir Oil & Gas, a upstream provider of pressure pumping and pressure control equipment and services, today announced an updated, field-proven Unitized Lock-Ring (ULR) wellhead.The ULR wellhead features a standardized design for shale plays in the U.S. that accommodates 95 percent of casing configurations in either 11 inch or 13-5/8 inch nominal sizes, ensuring faster delivery and greater flexibility for operators.Weir’s newly designed wellhead features a ULR casing head housing that has been standardized to accommodate various casing sizes, eliminating the need to switch the housing and tools for differing wellsite requirements.The Weir Quick Connect (WQC) features API gasket sealing capabilities and facilitates BOP make-up in drilling operations…

John Fredriksen's offshore drilling firm Northern Drilling has ordered another newbuild rig having exercised a previously held option for the Cobalt Explorer drillship to be delivered by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) by the first quarter of 2021.The drilling contractor said in a press release it has exercised the option for the 7th generation DP3 and ultra-deepwater drillship for a total consideration of $350 million.Cobalt Explorer is a high-spec Tier 1 UDW drilling ship being purchased at close to 50% discount to the previous owner’s estimated total project cost of $660 million, Northern Drilling said. The delivery will also include additional spare parts including two blowout preventers (BOP)…

For the past few years, depressed commodity prices, stricter regulatory requirements and competition from onshore development at home and from other countries offering attractive offshore lease and royalty terms have had severe impacts on new exploration in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Thankfully, the tide appears to finally be turning.In August, Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 251 drew increased competition for offerings and $178 million in high bids, $53 million more than previous sale held in March.

Odfjell Drilling has awarded Kongsberg Maritime the contract to deliver a real-time monitoring and advisory solution to provide operational safety and non-productive time (NPT) improvements for the 6th generation semi-submersible, Deepsea Stavanger. The contract is in specific relation to an upcoming offshore South Africa campaign awarded to Odfjell Drilling.Kongsberg Maritime’s integrated services and systems delivery for Deepsea Stavanger is designed to provide high operational safety and availability in deepwater harsh environments, strong currents and high waves.

Rowan Companies  announced  that the Rowan Gorilla VII, a Super Gorilla Class ultra-harsh environment jack-up rig, has been awarded an 18-month program by Chrysaor in the UK sector of the North Sea. The contract is expected to commence imminently for 18 months of work followed by two, one-year options. The Gorilla VII has recently undergone significant life enhancements including a new top drive, and upgrades to the BOP and drilling controls. Tom Burke, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Rowan's solid position in the harsh environment North Sea jack-up region is further strengthened by this commitment from Chrysaor. Rowan is a global provider of contract drilling services with a fleet of 27 mobile offshore drilling units…

Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M) through its subsidiary in Azerbaijan, Caspian Shipyard Company (CSC), is on track to deliver a semisubmersible drilling rig to Caspian Drilling Company Ltd, a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR). The rig was named Heydar Aliyev at a ceremony in Azerbaijan today by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. Built to Keppel FELS' proprietary DSSTM 38M design, the rig has been customized for the Caspian Sea's harsh environment condition. It is the first modern semisubmersible to be almost completely built in Azerbaijan.

Cameron, a Schlumberger company, today announced the signing of two 10-year pressure control equipment management service contracts on behalf of Transocean valued at greater than $350 million. The first contract calls for Schlumberger to manage Transocean’s Cameron risers in the Gulf of Mexico. This comprehensive agreement includes storage, maintenance, inspection, repair, recertification and data-driven riser management on the rigs. Through the second contract, Schlumberger will provide a comprehensive suite of solutions to maintain and service blowout preventer (BOP) systems and other pressure control equipment for nine of Transocean’s ultra-deepwater and harsh environment drilling rigs.

Statoil has awarded Palfinger Dreggen a contract for the complete rebuild and upgrade of six blowout preventer (BOP) cranes for the Gullfaks field in the northern part of the Norwegian North Sea. Each of the BOP cranes to be delivered from Palfinger Dreggen will have the capacity to lift 2 x 20 tons. In addition, the cranes are equipped with an auxiliary hoist with SWL 5 tons for smaller lifts. The delivery includes complete new trolleys with hoisting machineries, new modern control systems for the cranes and radio remote systems to make the operation of the cranes easy and flexible.

In the beginning of May, the crew on Maersk Discoverer reached a great milestone when they finalised their latest well two months ahead of time. The well was another East Nile Delta success for BP, discovering 50 m of gas pay in high-quality Oligocene sandstones. On 5 May, Maersk Discoverer completed the deepest well ever drilled in Egypt and the longest ever drilled in the Mediterranean Sea. What makes the well an even greater success is that it was drilled in 234 days, which was a staggering 62 days ahead of BP’s AFE target, thus creating a substantial cost saving. “The strong performance is a result of the dedicated use of the ‘Plan Do Study Act’ methodology in the planning and execution of the work.

Exploration begins by BHP Billiton using the Deepwater Invictus rig and supported by Lloyd’s Register’s rig integrity team. Lloyd’s Register (LR) announced it has extended rig integrity support for the Deepwater Invictus drilling rig. The company’s expertise in blow-out preventers (BOPs) and rig integrity will be used to provide confidence in how risk is managed for deepwater drilling and well exploration. Kevin Comeau, Dynamic Positioning / Power Management & Marine Safety Systems Manager at LR, said, “We have had a team supporting the Gulf Of Mexico (GOM) drilling program on board Deepwater Invictus and it is this same team that has been requested for BHP Billiton’s drilling program in Trinidad.

The Head of Class: Christopher J. The global maritime industry faces myriad challenges in the ongoing quest to run safe, profitable operations in an oftentimes tumultuous environment. More than ever vessel owners are faced with daunting regulatory and technical challenges, and the world’s leading classification societies remain the foundation upon which successful marine operations are built. Last month we visited with Christopher J. Wiernicki, the head of ABS and the newly elected head of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), for insight and analysis.

Retrieving an unreliable blowout preventer (BOP) is a necessary but expensive operation, costing upwards of one or two million dollars and easily the double in developing ultra-deepwater regions. It is also the main cause of downtime during drilling activity. DNV GL is introducing the BOP▪RDT, a real-time, risk-informed BOP retrieval decision support tool to enable operators to determine when to retrieve the BOP for repair after a detected component failure. Developed at DNV GL’s R&D Center in Rio de Janeiro, the BOP▪RDT tool provides the most comprehensive decision support system, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. It will assist the decision-making process by substantially reducing the degree of subjectivity.