Thruster Machinery Spaces News

The Tungsten Explorer is an ultra deepwater, dynamically positioned mobile offshore drilling unit (Drillship). The primary areas of activities of the Drillship shall be in the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa and Brazil. The drillship has drilling equipment on the topside with a continuous main deck and forecastle deck. Three engine rooms which house six diesel engines (7,000 kW x 720 rpm) are arranged aft in the hull. Thruster machinery spaces are arranged in engine rooms and in the forward machinery space of the hull…

Houston-based J. Ray McDermott, a subsidiary of McDermott International, Inc., is upgrading its primary Gulf of Mexico derrick/pipelay barge, DB50, for future deepwater projects, by adding new thrusters and increasing its electrical power supply. The DB50 will have its entire power plant replaced with new diesel-engine generator sets totaling 19.2 megawatts, new switchboards and a state-of-the-art power management/alarm system. Also, the existing four 2.4 megawatt controlled pitch thrusters will be replaced with six new 2.4 megawatt fixed pitch / variable AC drive thrusters, which will provide 44 tons of thrust each. In addition, the freshwater and saltwater cooling system and the supply/exhaust ventilation system will be upgraded in both engine and thruster machinery spaces.