Singapore: Double Naming Ceremony for Seadrill’s UDW Rigs

Sembcorp Marine’s subsidiary Jurong Shipyard and Seadrill Limited set a key milestone on November 5, 2011 with the double naming of high-specification, ultra-deepwater semi-submersible drilling rigs West Capricorn and West Leo.

The double rig naming – a first for Seadrill and Jurong Shipyard – witnessed the christening of West Capricorn by Ms Evelyn MacLean and the naming of West Leo by Mrs Claudia McDade.

West Capricorn Sets Industry Record

The fourth Friede & Goldman (F&G) ExD Millennium Class 6th generation ultradeepwater semi-submersible rig to be built by Jurong Shipyard for Seadrill, West Capricorn is set to attain an industry record as the first ultra-deepwater unit outfitted with a 7-ram blowout preventer.

West Capricorn, the eleventh F&G ExD rig constructed by the yard, is capable of operating in 10,000 ft water depth and harsh-environment drilling conditions in most of the world’s known challenging deepwater arena. Engineered for stability and versatility, the state-of-the-art rig has the ability to drill to depths of more than 37,500 feet, with operational displacement of 43,400 metric tonnes at 17 metres draft and 46,750 metric tonnes at 20 metres draft. It also features high load capacity and an efficient drill floor layout for enhanced operational performance, with accommodation for 180 persons.

Scheduled for delivery at end December 2011, West Capricorn will be deployed to the US Gulf of Mexico under a five-year contract, where it will join sister rig West Sirius. The rig is expected to commence start-up operations in May 2012.

West Leo Gears up for Ghana

One of the largest ultra-deepwater semi-submersibles in the world, West Leo is the second Moss Maritime CS50 MK II harsh-environment rig to be built from a six-column bare-deck hull by Jurong Shipyard for Seadrill. The first unit, the West Pegasus, was delivered earlier in March this year and is on charter to Pemex for operations in the US Gulf of Mexico.

West Leo is capable of working in harsh-environment conditions and has the multi-region flexibility to operate worldwide. Equipped with an advanced drilling package and dynamic-positioning (DP3) capabilities, this ultra-deepwater semi-submersible rig has the ability to drill 35,000 feet and operate in up to 10,000 feet water depth, with accommodation capacity for 192 persons.

Scheduled for delivery at end January 2012, West Leo will transit to Ghana where it will be deployed under a one-year contract by Tullow Oil Ghana, a subsidiary of Tullow Oil. The rig is expected to begin operations upon commencement of the Tullow contract scheduled in mid April 2012.

Proven Track Record

Mr Alf Thorkildsen, President and CEO of Seadrill, said: “The double naming of West Capricorn and West Leo represents a significant milestone for Seadrill. We would like to commend the team from Jurong Shipyard for their professionalism, commitment and teamwork demonstrated in the building of these top modern rigs. West Capricorn and West Leo are making good progress and we look forward to their timely delivery and successful deployment offshore North America and Ghana respectively. When completed, both rigs will further enhance our rapidly growing fleet of modern, premium, high-specification rigs and strengthen our leadership position in the ultra-deepwater and harsh-environment segments.”

Mr Wong Weng Sun, President and CEO of Sembcorp Marine and Managing Director of Jurong Shipyard, said: “The success of West Capricorn and West Leo testify to the strong synergy and close partnership between Seadrill and Jurong Shipyard. Our heartfelt thanks to Seadrill for their continuous confidence and steadfast support over the years. We are committed to the on-schedule completion of West Capricorn and West Leo as well as achieving the high standards of quality, safety and reliability required. We will continue to build on our proven track record and meet the stringent requirements expected for these ultra-deepwater semi-submersible rigs and the three Seadrill jack-up rigs entrusted to us.”

West Capricorn and West Leo are the seventh and eighth ultra-deepwater semi-submersible rigs to be constructed by Jurong Shipyard in Seadrill’s fleet. Other Jurong-built rigs include a Gusto MSC CJ70 150A harsh-environment jack-up rig (West Elara delivered in August 2011), three F&G ultra-deepwater semi-submersibles (West Sirius and West Taurus delivered in 2008 as well as West Orion delivered in 2010), a Moss Maritime CS50 MK II semi-submersible (West Pegasus delivered in March 2011), and West Cressida (ex-PetroJack IV), a Pacific Class 375 jack-up rig acquired by Seadrill in 2010.

In addition to West Capricorn and West Leo, Jurong Shipyard is currently building two units of Friede & Goldman (F&G) JU2000E jack-up rigs and a Gusto MSC CJ70 150A harsh-environment jack-up rig for Seadrill.

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Source: Sembcorp,  November 8, 2011; Image: Seadrill