J. Ray McDermott is investing $12 million to upgrade a dynamically positioned offshore derrick barge with a package of improvements that will provide the vessel with greater flexibility in deepwater operations, said Gary W. Drinkwater, senior vice-president and group executive, Western Hemisphere. “Derrick Barge 16 will be capable of a multitude of offshore installation options, especially in the deepwater market fields, where much of today’s exploration and drilling activity is occurring,” said Drinkwater. DB 16’s dynamically positioning system will be upgraded to a DPS-2 rating. The ABS classification of a DPS-2 rating indicates a more sophisticated system, which allows for redundancy. The four 2,000 hp, full azimuth thrusters will provide the 400 x 100 ft.