CIMC Raffles repairs two Russian semi-sub rigs

CIMC Raffles’ shipyard in Yantai, China has completed repair works on two semi-submersible offshore drilling units (MODU) of the sixth generation, Polyarnaya Zvezda and Severnoye Siyaniye.

The repairs have been completed under a survey by the classification society Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS).

The two rigs, Polyarnaya Zvezda (Polar Star) and Severnoye Siyaniye (Northern Lights), are managed by Gazflot, a subsidiary of the Russian energy company Gazprom.

Konstantin Palnikov, RS Director General, attended the ceremony of MODUs delivery to customer, which was held on Friday, April 15, 2016.

During the survey of the MODU repair and equipment replacement, RS said its specialists performed docking survey, inspection of hull structures, ship machinery and disassembled devices.

According to the classification society, the tests and operation checks of the machinery, equipment and ship systems, as well as platform sea trials, were successful, and the MODUs are ready to continue their work.

Polyarnaya Zvezda and Severnoye Siyaniye are self-propelled floating catamaran structures with two pontoons and six stabilizing columns, supporting the top hull and topside. The platforms are suitable for exploration and production drilling of gas and oil-and-gas wells of up to 7500 m in depth at sea depths from 70 to 500 m in broken ice up to 70 cm thick. Their equipment is designed to operate at ambient temperatures up to – 30 ° C.

Polyarnaya Zvezda and Severnoye Siyaniye platforms were built for Gazprom under RS survey at Vyborgskiy shipyard in 2011 for operation in Arctic conditions. Before the repairs, the rigs were operating at the offshore area of Sakhalin.