Marine Drilling Company News

The Offshore Division of Houston Ship Repair, Inc. (HSR) has recently completed two major rig upgrades for Global Marine Drilling Company. HSR was selected as the primary contractor for the re-powering and mud system enhancement stages of the Glomar Baltic I upgrade project. The Marathon LeTourneau Super 300 jackup drilling rig was re-powered with five Caterpillar type 3516 TA V, 1,305 kW diesel generator sets, replacing the three existing EMD diesel engine driven 1,400 kW generators. HSR was also contracted to replace the two existing National 12-P-160 mud pumps with three National 14-P-220 mud pumps. HSR removed the existing generator and mud pump units…

Global Marine today announced it received a letter of commitment from Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of TotalFinaElf, for two-year contracts for both the Glomar Adriatic I and Glomar Baltic I jackup rigs to work on the Amenam/Kpono field offshore Nigeria. Producing Nigeria Unlimited operates this field development project. The contracts for the two units include key rig upgrades, which are anticipated to cost about $23 million in total. The two contracts are expected to generate combined revenues of approximately $121 million to Global Marine. for extension of up to one year. four operating offshore Nigeria," Marion Woolie, president of Global Marine Drilling Company, said. 410 feet of leg.

Crowley Marine Services' Energy and Marine Services business unit has successfully moved the 312-ft. (9.5-m) square concrete island drilling structure Orlan from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Sovietskaya Gavan in the Russian Far East for Sakhalin I Project operator, Exxon Neftegas Limited (ENL), a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation. The Orlan (ex Glomar Beaufort Sea I) Concrete Island Drilling System (CIDS) was purchased from Global Marine Drilling Company and will be used for oil production as part of the Sakhalin 1 project, offshore Russia. It was moved from its stack site near Northstar Island, off Prudhoe Bay using two Crowley Sea Victory Class 7,200 bhp twin screw oceangoing tugs with more than 110 tons bollard pull each.

Crowley Marine Services' Energy and Marine Services business unit has successfully moved the 312-ft. square concrete island drilling structure Orlan from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Sovietskaya Gavan in the Russian Far East for Sakhalin I Project operator, Exxon Neftegas Limited (ENL), a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation. The Orlan (ex Glomar Beaufort Sea I) Concrete Island Drilling System (CIDS) was purchased from Global Marine Drilling Company and will be used for oil production as part of the Sakhalin 1 project, offshore Russia. It was moved from its stack site near Northstar Island, off Prudhoe Bay using two Crowley Sea Victory Class 7,200 bhp twin screw oceangoing tugs with more than 110 tons bollard pull each.

Global Marine Drilling Company has awarded a contract to Newpark Shipbuilding for the fabrication and outfitting of two electrical equipment houses for the drillship Glomar Jack Ryan. The buildings, which are being assembled at Newpark's West Pelican Island Facility, will then be barged to Houston for transport to Ireland where the vessel is currently undergoing construction.

Providing ship repair, conversion, new construction and related services for barges and other vessels, FirstWave/Newpark Shipbuilding has garnered three new contracts. Pleiades Shipping Agents awarded the company for collision damage repair of 55,000-dwt vessel, MT Nestos. The ship, which sustained damage on its port side near the bow and just above the waterline, underwent repairs at the company's East Pelican Island facility. FirstWave has also been granted a contract by East Boston-based Sterling Equipment for the construction of two 140 x 40 ft. offshore deck barges scheduled for delivery in 1999. In addition, the company will also repair the mat on the Phoenix VI rig for Rio Grande Supply Company. The jack-up rig was loaded on heavy lift barge Boa 16, to make the repairs.

FirstWave/Newpark Shipbuilding was granted two contracts from Marine Drilling Company. The Marine Rig 202 arrived from Singapore on June 26 for skirt repairs and replacement to the rig mat. The Marine Rig 201 - also from Singapore arrived at Newpark's East Pelican Island Facility June 28 for minor repairs and loadout.

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., Lockport, La., has signed a contract to build two, 250-ft., double hull, jumbo coastwise service, single rake hopper barges for Tide Leasing, LLC, Birmingham, Ala. Construction has begun on the first barge and building of the second vessel will begin in August. Both are scheduled for delivery in November 2000. Overall, each barge will be 250 ft. in length, with a 52.5-ft. beam and 14-ft. depth and 11.5 ft. maximum draft. They will be built with .75-in. steel at the hopper bottoms and .625-in. steel at the hopper sides plus .5-in. T-1 liner plates on the bottom and upper sides of the hopper. Each will be able to carry up to 3,000 metric tons of coal and will operate out of Santa Marta, Colombia. Shearer and Associates, Inc., Metairie, La.

FirstWave/Newpark Shipbuilding has been awarded a contract from Global Marine Drilling Company of Houston, Texas for final commissioning of drilling equipment and other miscellaneous completion work on the newbuild drillship Glomar Jack Ryan. The vessel left builder Harland & Wolff Shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on August 20 and is scheduled to arrive at FirstWave's East Pelican Island Facility in Galveston early September.