Marine Structure Consultants News

Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd. (Keppel O&M) through its subsidiaries Caspian Rigbuilders BV (an affiliated company of Keppel FELS) and Caspian Shipyard Company (CSC), has secured a contract from Caspian Drilling Company Ltd., a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), to build a semisubmersible drilling rig, which includes owner furnished equipment, worth about $800 million. Scheduled for delivery in 4Q 2016, the rig will be built to Keppel FELS' proprietary DSSTM 38M design, which has been customised for the Caspian Sea's harsh environment condition. The DSSTM 38M is designed for a drilling depth of up to 40,000ft and operations in 1,000m water depth.

Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), has signed a contract with Ukraine's National Joint-Stock Company "Naftogaz of Ukraine" (Naftogaz), to construct two semisubmersible drilling rigs worth about US$1.2 billion. The contract will be effective upon final corporate approvals. This follows an earlier announcement made on 21 November 2012 in relation to Keppel FELS being selected as winner of the tender to construct the two semisubmersible drilling rigs. The rigs will be built to Keppel FELS' proprietary DSSTM 38U design which is customised for the Black Sea environment. The harsh weather conditions of the Black Sea include extreme freezing temperatures, storms with strong winds and heavy seas.

The offshore industry, and specifically Brazil, continue to be a driver for maritime markets, as Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), through its subsidiary Fernvale Pte. Ltd., signed contracts with Sete Brasil Participações S.A. (Sete Brasil), for the design and construction of five additional semisubmersible (semi) drilling rigs for approximately $4.1b, following the Letter of Intent announced in April 2012. The five semis will be based on Keppel's DSSTM 38E design, which has improved capability and operability, making it well suited to meet the stringent requirements of the deepwater "Golden Triangle" region of Brazil, Africa and the Gulf of Mexico. The semis are scheduled for delivery in 4Q 2016, 3Q 2017, 2Q 2018, 4Q 2018, and 3Q 2019 respectively.

Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), through its subsidiary Fernvale Pte. Ltd., has secured a contract worth approximately $809m from Urca Drilling B.V., a subsidiary of Sete Brasil Participações S.A. (Sete Brasil), for the design and construction of a semisubmersible (semi) drilling rig based on Keppel's proprietary DSSTM 38E design. The DSSTM 38E is an enhancement of Keppel's proven fifth generation deepwater solution, the DSSTM 38. With improved capability and operability, it is designed to meet the stringent requirements of the deepwater "Golden Triangle" region, comprising Brazil, Africa and the Gulf of Mexico. Scheduled for delivery in 4Q 2015, the rig is intended to support the exploration of Brazil's estimated 50 billion barrels of deep-sea oil and gas reserves1.

The DSSTM 38 ultra deepwater semisubmersible rig was delivered a record four months ahead of schedule. Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS) has delivered Alpha Star, the second of two DSSTM 38 semisubmersible rigs, to Brazil's Queiroz Galvão Óleo e Gás (QGOG) four months ahead of schedule and with zero lost time incidents. This continues Keppel FELS track record of delivering its rigs on time or ahead of schedule. It is the third early delivery this year, following the early delivery of the semisubmersible drilling tender…

Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS) has delivered the semisubmersible accommodation rig, Floatel Superior, 43 days early, safely and within budget to Floatel International (Floatel). The vessel is now ready to commence operations. Floatel Superior will depart Singapore shortly for Bayu Undan in the Timor Sea where she will commence her maiden charter contract for ConocoPhillips Australia following 14 days of transit on her own propulsion. This new generation floatel is built to the DSS 20NS design…

Keppel FELS Limited is on track to deliver Gold Star, the first of two DSS 38 deepwater rigs to Brazilian operator, Queiroz Galvão Óleo e Gás (QGOG) later this year. Progressing on time and within budget, Gold Star will be the first DSS 38 rig to enter the market and support Petrobras's exploration and production activities. Gold Star was named today by Lady Sponsor, Mrs Fiona Steane, spouse of Mr Christopher Steane, Global Head for Structured Finance of the rig’s financiers, ING Bank.

Keppel FELS Ltd (Keppel FELS) has secured a contract with GlobalSantaFe Corporation (GSF) to build an ultra-deepwater drilling rig for $270 million. Under the contract agreement, GSF will supply the drilling and sub-sea equipment while Keppel FELS provides the design, engineering and construction of the hull as well as the accommodation quarters for 180 men and marine equipment. The rig, to be named the GSF Development Driller III, is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2009. GSF has chosen to build the state-of-the-art semisubmersible (semi) to the proprietary design, DSS-51, jointly designed and developed by Keppel’s Deepwater Technology Group (DTG) and Marine Structure Consultants (MSC).

Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS) has fabricated and delivered the sophisticated structures of the Maersk DSS-20-CAS-M semi-submersible to its subsidiary, Caspian Shipyard Company Ltd (CSC) in Baku, Azerbaijan two weeks ahead of schedule. CSC, which has already completed about 50 per cent of the overall work, is now entering into the next phase of the construction to join the lower hull sections together and fully consolidate the upper hull on to it. When completed in the third quarter of 2003, the Maersk rig will become the first semi-submersible to be built in the Caspian Sea and will also be technologically, the most advanced unit operating in the region.

Keppel Offshore & Marine Limited (Keppel O&M) will deliver a new generation semi-submersible rig to Maersk Contractors two weeks ahead of schedule in mid August 2003. The rig was named LIDER in a ceremony that was attended by more that 1,000 guests at Caspian Shipyard Company (CSC) in Baku, Azerbaijan. Mr Tage Bundgaard, President of Maersk Contractors, said, "We are proud of this new highly advanced rig. We fully expect LIDER to prove its state-of-the-art capabilities during the upcoming contract with Exxon Azerbaijan and other operators in the Caspain region. LIDER will be contracted to Exxon Azerbaijan Operating Company LLC and Chevron Overseas Petroleum Azerbaijan Limited for a three-year drilling program.

The semi-submersible drilling platforms for Keppel FELS will be equipped with generating sets and steerable thrusters from Wärtsilä. Wärtsilä Corporation has been awarded contracts with a total value of above 50 million EUR, by Keppel FELS Ltd in Singapore for 32 diesel generating sets to power four jack-up rigs and two semi-submersible drilling platforms. The combined output of these orders is about 115 MW. Wärtsilä will also supply steerable thrusters for the semi-submersible platforms. The rigs and platforms are being built at Keppel FELS Ltd for the Danish company A.P. Møller - Mærsk A/S. The first of the jack-up rigs is due for delivery in the fourth quarter 2007, and the semi-submersible platforms are due to be delivered in 2008 and 2009.