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Q7000: Helix Orders Semi-Submersible Rig from Sembcorp Marine
Sembcorp Marine’s subsidiary Jurong Shipyard has secured a US$346 million contract to build a second semi-submersible well intervention rig for Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (Helix), a market leader in subsea well intervention services.
Scheduled for delivery in mid-2016, the semi-submersible light well intervention rig will be built based on a design jointly developed by Sembcorp Marine Technology Pte Ltd (SMTP), a fully-owned Research & Development subsidiary of Sembcorp Marine, and Helix. Featuring the latest technology, the rig – named Q7000 by Helix – is an efficient purpose-designed platform with capabilities to perform a wide variety of tasks, including conventional and extended top hole drilling, subsea construction, decommissioning well intervention, coiled tubing operations and twin ROV deployment.
The Dynamic Positioning (DP) class 3 unit has the ability to operate in deepwater operations worldwide, including the North Sea and West of Africa.
William Gu, General Manager of Offshore Division said: “We are honoured that Helix has chosen to build their second semi-submersible well intervention rig with us. This repeat order is significant as it testifies as to their trust and confidence in our design and building capabilities in rigs with well intervention and subsea capabilities that are customised to meet this new growth segment of the market. We are committed to build on our partnership with Helix and to meet their stringent standards of quality, safety and reliability.”
Owen Kratz, Helix’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are pleased to work with our trusted partner Jurong Shipyard on this second unit of the semisubmersible well intervention rig, to be named Q7000.”
The above is not expected to have any material impact on the consolidated net tangible assets per share and earnings per share of Sembcorp Marine for the year ending December 31, 2013.
Ukraine: Ulstein’s CSV Polar Onyx Launched
The hull of the offshore construction and well intervention vessel “Polar Onyx”, built by the order from Norwegian company Ulstein Hull AS, has been launched at Shipyard Zaliv on May 31, 2013.
The hull is currently moored alongside the outfitting berth of the Ukraine-based yard and is waiting to be towed to Norway to the place of final completion.
The high-capacity vessel is designed for operations in harsh conditions and deep waters, with a length of 130 meters and a 25 meter beam. The vessel is built to the highest standard for dynamic positioning, DP2+, and is equipped with a 250t AHC offshore crane. It is also equipped with a 275t Vertical Lay System above a moonpool which is capable of installing flexible pipe and umbilicals to 3,000m water depth.
The vessel has recently been chartered to Ceona Services (UK) for a period of 5 years and it will start working for Ceona immediately upon delivery from Ulstein Verft in the first quarter of 2014.
In total, during the six years of cooperation between Zaliv and Ulstein Hull AS, fourteen vessels have been built for work in the oil and gas industry.
Related:
VIDEO: HLV Fairplayer Installs Suction Anchors and Bottom Chains
In the following video, Jumbo Maritime Heavylift shows transport and installation of suction anchors and bottom chains from the vessel HLV Fairplayer.
The Fairplayer is fitted with a Class 2 Dynamic Positioning system.
VIDEO: HLV Fairplayer Installs Suction Anchors and Bottom Chains| Offshore Energy Today.
- Germany: HeavyLift@Sea Presents New Heavy Lifter Design (worldmaritimenews.com)
Sonardyne, Oceaneering Demonstrate ROV Capabilities in U.S. Gulf
A recent trials partnership between Sonardyne International Ltd. and Oceaneering International, Inc. has resulted in the development of a Fly-By-Wire (FBW) system for ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) control in any water depth, allowing the vehicle to hold station indefinitely and navigate to real-world coordinates automatically.
A Sonardyne SPRINT system was installed on one of Oceaneering’s Maxximum ROVs and integrated with a Sonardyne Ranger 2 Ultra Short Baseline (USBL) system for acoustic aiding of the Inertial Navigation System (INS). The trials took place in the Gulf of Mexico in water depths of 3,057 metres (10,030 ft) and results showed that continuous hovering of the ROV in mid-water beyond Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) range was possible, as well as automatic navigation to waypoints.
The majority of ROV navigation systems utilize an Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) and DVL to provide a relative or dead reckoned position. These systems are subject to time and distance based position errors and only operate close to the seabed, meaning mid-water operations are conducted via manual control so real world or relative coordinates cannot be easily used by the ROV pilot. To address these limitations, Sonardyne and Oceaneering have developed a novel navigation and control system solution utilising the dual output of INS and AHRS data from SPRINT to provide ROV Dynamic Positioning (DP) in all water depths with capabilities beyond current state-of-the-art, without affecting reliability or ease of use.
The system has two methods of ROV control: ‘Navigation’ and ‘Passthru’. In ‘Navigation’ mode, the ROV control system uses INS positioning optimised for DP with real-world position, velocity and attitude data at high output rates. This speeds up ROV operations by improving vehicle control precision, automating station keeping and delivering FBW capability. ‘Navigation’ mode is available continuously in all water depths when USBL data is available. If the INS solution should become degraded or is unavailable, the system automatically reverts to ‘Passthru’ mode. ‘Passthru’ mode is a dead reckoned solution using self contained AHRS data that is inherently robust and reliable when combined with DVL data.
The results of the trial showed that continuous hovering of the ROV in mid-water beyond DVL range was possible, as well as automatic navigation to waypoints. When the ROV was in DVL range of the seabed the ‘Navigation’ mode performed equally as well as the ‘Passthru’ mode but with the added benefit of real-world referenced positioning data from the USBL system. The faster update rate (20 Hz, compared to the 5 Hz rate of the DVL) has the potential to refine vehicle control precision.
Commenting on the development, Mark Carter, Business Development Manager for Inertial Systems at Sonardyne said, “Fly-By-Wire ROV control using real-world coordinates significantly improves operational efficiency compared to relative-only positioning methods. Faster navigation updates, automatic registering of waypoints and indefinite mid-water station keeping speed up ROV operations and ultimately save ROV and vessel time.”
Mark Philip, ROV Technology Manager at Oceaneering stated that, “Autonomous flight control is an increasingly important feature for ROVs. Oceaneering’s Fly-By-Wire system has greatly enhanced the efficiency of the service we provide to our customers since its introduction several years ago. The integration of the SPRINT inertial navigation system further enhances this capability by providing hands-free hovering and navigation throughout the entire water column. We place high importance on ease of operation and redundancy and are confident that our collaboration with Sonardyne satisfies these requirements.”
Sonardyne, Oceaneering Demonstrate ROV Capabilities in U.S. Gulf| Offshore Energy Today.
- Canyon Offshore’s Olympic Triton Returns to the Gulf of Mexico (mb50.wordpress.com)
Update: Floatel Superior Stable Again. Will be Towed to Land, Statoil Says
After the PSA Norway today informed of Floatel Superior stability incident which occurred this morning in the Norwegian Sea, Statoil has provided a more detailed insight into the matter.
The oil company announced on its website that, after a hole was discovered in the rig’s ballast tank, causing the rig to tilt 3-4 degrees, the crew of 374 have mustered at the lifeboat stations and evacuation by helicopter is taking place.
“The rig’s stability is now re-established” Statoil said and added that Floatel Superior would be towed to land in due course.
Statoil has set up a personnel reception centre in Kristiansund. Six helicopters and an emergency response vessel have been deployed in order to assist the rig. In addition, an anchor handling vessel will be dispatched to inspect the damage.
Owned by the Swedish company Floatel, the Floatel Superior is a dynamically-positioned (DP-3) semi-submersible facility with a living quarters module aft and an open work deck forward. The flotel can accommodate 440 people in single cabins when operating on the Norwegian shelf.
The PSA Norway in July 2012 granted consent to Statoil to use the flotel at Njord Field in the Norwegian Sea.
Update: Floatel Superior Stable Again. Will be Towed to Land, Statoil Says| Offshore Energy Today.
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- Breaking News: Floatel Superior Tilts. Statoil Evacuates Workers (Norway) (mb50.wordpress.com)
Breaking News: Floatel Superior Tilts. Statoil Evacuates Workers (Norway)
Norwegian energy giant Statoil has evacuated workers from Floatel Superior accommodation rig due to a serious stability incident, the PSA Norway informs.
The operator informed the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway of the incident this morning explaining that an anchor had punctured one of the ballast tanks causing the flotel to tilt approximately 4 degrees.
There were 374 people on board when the incident occurred. The watchdog has set up an emergency response center in order to overview Statoil’s management of the situation.
Floatel Superior is located in the Njord A installation on the Njord field in the Norwegian Sea. It is a dynamically-positioned (DP-3) semi-submersible facility with a living quarters module aft and an open work deck forward. The flotel can accommodate 440 people in single cabins when operating on the Norwegian shelf.
Breaking News: Floatel Superior Tilts. Statoil Evacuates Workers (Norway)| Offshore Energy Today.
Helix ROV Support Vessel Ready for North Sea
Helix Energy Solutions Group’s newbuild charter ROV support vessel, Grand Canyon, recently completed sea trials and is ready to begin operations in the North Sea. During the sea trials the vessel’s propulsion system, dynamic positioning system and all her cranes were tested.
The vessel recently completed its outfitting in Norway after the initial hull construction was completed in Turkey. Grand Canyon is capable of launching five ROVs at once and will be operated by Helix ESG’s robotics subsidiary, Canyon Offshore.
The vessel will be the new home for another recently completed asset, the T1200 trenching unit. Used primarily to bury large diameter power cables leading from offshore windfarms, the T1200 is also capable of working on oil and gas projects to bury production pipelines.
The Grand Canyon was designed to provide a high capacity, stable working platform for lay, burial and general offshore construction work while still retaining a shallow draft, which is crucial when operating close to the coastline, and common in the renewable energy sector.Grand Canyon’s DP3 capability allows her to operate in any sector, providing offshore support in a wide variety of roles.
The vessel’s deck structure is specifically designed to accept trenching and flexible pipe or cable lay systems for safe and efficient mobilizations. A key focus throughout the design and build of Grand Canyon was to optimize the vessel and equipment design to facilitate efficient mobilizations.
Helix ROV Support Vessel Ready for North Sea | Offshore Energy Today.
- ROV Support Vessel Grand Canyon Completes Sea Trials (Norway) (worldmaritimenews.com)
- North Sea Rig Rates May Push Higher as Midwater Market Heats Up (gcaptain.com)
- UK: Helix Well Ops Charters Skandi Constructor from DOF Subsea (mb50.wordpress.com)
Pacific Drilling Orders Kongsberg IMS System for its Drillship
Kongsberg Maritime will deliver a sophisticated new Information Management System (IMS) as part of a ‘Full Picture’ Integrated Automation System (IAS) delivery to the Pacific Drilling owned Samsung 12000 design dynamically-positioned drillship, Pacific Santa Ana.
The IMS, which will be shown on the Kongsberg Maritime stand at ONS is a new development, which uniquely, facilitates consolidation of all control system data into a single, role-based secure web-portal. In practice, the IMS enables enhanced information sharing and better insight into operations for offshore and shore-based teams. This will result in improved decision support and safety of operations in addition to better troubleshooting of systems on board, maintenance planning and a reduced need for service personnel aboard service vessels.
Based on a suite of integrated applications offering improved information management and sharing possibilities, the new Kongsberg Maritime IMS is a modular system with a highly scalable infrastructure, enabling it to be deployed to very specific operational requirements. The Pacific Santa Ana delivery features a datalogger covering all datasources on board the drilling rig and replication of data to an onshore fleet database.
All data can be accessed in a role based web portal for offshore and onshore users. The core application is the user-defined dashboard in the web portal, which allows users in different roles to customise their views according to their specific needs and job roles. Uses for this application range include domain-specific information views and management fleet KPI views.
The new Kongsberg maritime IMS will join the already installed Kongsberg Maritime K-Pos Dynamic Positioning, K-Chief 700 automation, K-Safe safety system and K-Thrust thruster control already installed. The Pacific Santa Ana commenced drilling operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico in Spring 2012 under a 5 year contract with a Chevron subsidiary. The IMS project started at the beginning of April 2012 with a Factory Acceptance Test at Kongsberg Maritime in June. The Customer Acceptance Test is at the end of August. The system is expected to be fully operational during September 2012.
Press Release, August 28, 2012
Pacific Drilling Orders Kongsberg IMS System for its Drillship| Offshore Energy Today.
- Two Unique Developments from Kongsberg Up for Prestigious Prize (Norway) (worldmaritimenews.com)
- Arctic Dynamic Positioning R&D Project Gets $3.2 Million Go Ahead (gcaptain.com)
- UK: Kongsberg Underwater Cameras for SMD Trencher (worldmaritimenews.com)
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Mb50's "Liquid Mud" Rant 