DNV GL presented Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. Ltd (DSIC) with an Approval in Principle (AiP) certificate for their new DSJ-500 jack-up design for drilling in depths of up to 500 feet.
Tor E. Svensen, DNV GL Group Executive Vice President, handed over the certificate to Liu Wenmin, DSIC Deputy Technical Director, at the Marintec China trade fair in Shanghai.
“I am very pleased to be able to present this certificate to DSIC, continuing a very productive and longstanding relationship,” said Svensen.
“DSIC has been engaged in a continuous process of development, with their 350ft and 400ft designs, and we have been very proud to support them. Now with the DSJ-500 they have accomplished a first for a Chinese designer with a jack-up designed for worldwide operation at 500ft, which is a testament to their engineering strengths. We wish them every success,” Svensen added.
“The DSJ-500 is the first jack-up unit that DSIC has developed to work in 500ft water depths. The global in-place analysis and the leg fatigue analysis are different from the units with water depths under 400ft. As a result of their vast experience in high-end jack-ups, DNV GL has been able to give us a great deal of useful suggestions and has been an invaluable support in our development of the design,” said Liu, the guru of Chinese ship design.
Liu added: “Ownership of design is essential for setting the standards in next generation drilling rigs, where made-in-China material and equipment play a more important role. We’re aiming to achieve the best possible economical results, while maintaining safety standards and reliability. This will give us the edge in an ever more competitive market.”
The feasibility of the innovative design has been assessed through a preliminary review of the design documents in accordance with DNV-OSS-104 jack-up rules, as well as the IMO MODU Code. DSIC developed 350ft and 400ft drilling jack-up designs in 2011 and 2013 and both were approved by DNV GL and received orders.
With the growing demand for jack-ups with higher specifications for operation in specific regions, DSIC decided to develop a new design capable of working to a maximum of 500ft water depth, in moderate to harsh ocean environments. It completes DSIC’s in-house jack-up design portfolio, which covers water depths from 300 to 500ft, the most common operational ranges for modern jack-ups.
“DSIC have combined sound engineering practices with the smart application of proven technologies to create this design,” commented Jiang Rongrong, DNV GL Greater China Offshore Technology Manager. “In developing new designs it is essential to have a reliable partner in the development process and we are very proud that DSIC has recognized our extensive experience in high specification jack-ups by selecting DNV GL to support them in this project.”