PHOTO: Alaskan Star enjoying one of its last sunsets

Captain Neil Johnston has shared with Offshore Energy Today this beautiful photo of a semi-submersible drilling rig basking in the sun, offshore Spain.

The rig named Alaskan Star, is a veteran in the industry. Built in Japan back in 1976, this forty-year old is counting its final days, as it is now being towed to a scrapyard.

Captain Johnston, who took the photo this week near Las Palmas, Spain, has told us the rig is being towed to the breakers in Aliaga, Turkey, described by Bloomberg as a blowtorch beach, where old offshore drilling rigs go to die. And, as we’ve said before, old she is.

Also, as it is very well known, the offshore drilling market has been hit hard by a perfect storm of rig oversupply on one hand, and lack of demand due to low oil prices, on the other.

The fact that a young, high end offshore rig can be hired for less than $200.000 a day – down from $600.000 before oil prices collapsed in 2014 – means the older units can’t compete, and are thus deemed obsolete and sold for scrap.

The Alaskan Star rig last owned by the Brazilian drilling contractor Queiroz Galvão Óleo e Gás which had bought it in 1994. After having drilled for Petrobras for years, the rig is now counting its final days.

According to VesselsValue, which tracks the rig’s value back to 2007, the Alaskan Star’s highest value was in 2008, reaching $123 million. The current demolition value has been estimated at $4 million. We, however, have no info on the actual sale value of the rig.

Mr. Johnston, who shared the photo of the Alaskan Star, is the captain aboard the Salvanguard vessel which is doing the towing. He’s towed the rig from Brazil, and expects to reach the Aliaga yard on April 30.

Given the calm sea seen at the photo, we’ve asked the Captain about the weather conditions during the tow in general.

“The weather today is wonderful, flat calm and sunny. We had mostly good weather on the way across except on Monday evening approaching the Straits of Gibraltar where we experienced force 10 winds for a time. However, we got through unscathed.”

According to Captain Johnston, the estimated time of arrival to Aliaga yard is the last day of April.

Specs

Since this is probably the last time we’re writing about this particular semi-submersible drilling unit, here’s some info on its background and specs.

Exxon christened the Alaskan Star at Hiroshima, Japan, in December 1976, after which the semisubmersible rig headed for the Gulf of Alaska, where it drilled four wells, all dry holes.

According to a spec sheet by the rig’s last owner QGOG, the Alaskan Star is a L-900 design, Pacesetter type, which was equipped to operate in water depths up to 1,700 ft. This was the first rig bought by QGOG Constellation, marking the company’s entry into the offshore drilling market.

The spec sheet dated 2012, reads the rig has a variable load capacity of 2,500 long ton and is rated to drill to 25,000 ft. The Alaskan Star was classed by the American Bureau of Shipping. Special steels were used to obtain AMS classification for -23°C air and 0° C design water temperatures.

Have you served aboard this rig? Do you have interesting offshore photos, stories, anecdotes to share? Write to us at [email protected].

Offshore Energy Today Staff