Ocean Baroness News

Keppel AmFELS to Construct and Upgrade Deepwater Semisubmersible for Diamond Offshore for US$150 million. Keppel AmFELS LLC, a US wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), has secured a contract from Diamond Offshore to construct and upgrade a moored semisubmersible rig with delivery scheduled for 3Q 2013. The estimated shipyard contract price is approximately US$150 million. The rig, to be named Ocean Onyx, will be constructed from an existing hull from a Diamond Offshore cold stacked unit, which previously operated as the Ocean Voyager. Keppel AmFELS' scope of work on the Ocean Onyx includes the reconstruction of the rig…

A subsidiary of Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. has awarded dockside shipyard work on the Ocean Baroness semisubmersible-drilling rig to Signal International, LLC. The rig is currently docked at Signal’s Pascagoula Mississippi East Yard undergoing mooring chain inspection and chain locker repairs, general steel renewals, piping upgrades and ABS survey work. Ongoing enhancements at the East Yard have enabled Signal to accommodate large semisubmersibles, such as the Baroness, that draw over thirty feet of water depth. A 60-ft water depth by 300 x 500 ft hole was dredged near the dock. Additional dredging, from 35-ft to 42-ft depth, was also completed along a 1,005 ft stretch at the East Yard’s dockside.

Keppel FELS Limited (KFELS), the offshore arm of the Keppel Group has secured contracts worth a total of $77 million from Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc for the upgrades of a semi-submersible, Ocean Rover and a jack-up rig, Ocean Tower. This comes after a $34 million contract from Diamond Offshore for the upgrading of four jack-up rigs in July this year. These contracts were secured as a result of KFELS’ services and the outstanding work it is performing on Ocean Baroness, presently in the final stages of an extremely challenging deepwater upgrade in KFELS’ Pioneer Yard in Singapore. Tong Chong Heong, managing director of KFELS said, “We are very pleased that Diamond Offshore has chosen us to be a partner in the enhancement of their fleet of vessels.

Keppel FELS Limited (KFELS) has earned a cash bonus and another contract from Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. to upgrade the sister rig, Ocean Rover. The $60 million project on Ocean Baroness only took 17 months and was delivered well ahead of schedule and on budget as well. While work was still in progress in November 2001, the owner, Diamond Offshore was so satisfied with the job that they awarded KFELS with the contract on Ocean Rover. Lawrence Dickerson, president and chief operating officer of Diamond Offshore said, “The upgrading of the Ocean Baroness was an outstanding workmanship by Keppel FELS. The timely delivery of this rig will bring substantial benefits to us. The Ocean Baroness will be the choice tool in the next phase of deepwater drilling.”

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.

Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. reported net income of $22.6 million, or $0.17 per share on a diluted basis, on revenues of $193.7 million for the first quarter of 2002, compared to net income of $36.8 million, or $0.27 per share on a diluted basis, on revenues of $205.2 million for the first quarter of 2001. Diamond Offshore also announced the delivery of the "Ocean Baroness," an ultra-deepwater upgraded semisubmersible, which began its short term contract with Murphy Sabah Oil Co. Ltd. offshore Malaysia in March 2002. Baroness has been upgraded for operations in excess of 7,000 ft. for development and extended reach drilling. The cost to complete the ultra-deepwater upgrade of the "Ocean Baroness" rig was approximately $170 million.

Keppel FELS Limited (KFELS), the offshore division of Keppel FELS Energy & Infrastructure Ltd (Keppel FELS), has won a contract from Diamond Offshore Drilling for the significant upgrade of its semi-submersible, Ocean Baroness to a semi-submersible with fifth-generation capabilities. Total capital expenditure for the conversion is estimated at $180 million, of which the shipyard's share is approximately $60 million. The planned deepwater upgrade will be a greatly enhanced version of Diamond Offshore's highly successful Victory-class upgrades. Initial outfitting will be designed to include stability enhancements and self-contained chain/wire mooring for operation in water depths to 6,000 ft.

Keppel FELS Ltd., a unit of Keppel Corporation Limited through Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), has secured a contract from Diamond Offshore Services Company, a subsidiary of Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (Diamond Offshore), to upgrade semisubmersible rig Ocean Endeavor for US$85 million. Completion of the upgrade is scheduled for fourth quarter 2006. Ocean Endeavor will be capable of drilling down to 35,000 feet and be fully outfitted for 8,000 feet moored operations, with design capabilities to operate in up to 10,000 feet of water. In addition, the rig will have increased crew quarters to accommodate up to 140 personnel, over 6,000 tons of operating variable deck load and increased usable deck space.

• Diamond Offshore Drilling Limited, completed the previously announced acquisition of the third-generation semisubmersible drilling rig Omega. The rig, purchased for $65 million, has been renamed Ocean Patriot. Diamond Offshore has a fleet of 47 offshore drilling rigs currently consists of 32 semisubmersibles, 14 jack-ups and one drillship. • Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. received a letter of intent from Murphy Sabah Oil Company Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Murphy Oil Corporation, to operate the semisubmersible Ocean Rover offshore Malaysia for approximately 120 days following completion of its upgrade. Ocean Rover is expected to commence operations in Malaysia following delivery from the shipyard.