Transport of Keppel FELS-Built Hulls & Pontoons Gains Momentum

Earlier this year, Keppel FELS – the global leader in the design, construction and repair of mobile offshore rigs – signed a contract with Blue Water for the heavy-lift transportation of 6 semi-submersible rigs. In total, Blue Water is entrusted to handle more than 600.000 freight tons during the course of this challenging contract mainly by dry and wet towage and heavy-lift ships.

The project contains transport of both the lower hull and pontoons for the hull.

“Right now, we are preparing for transporting the lower hull of the rig to Brazil. Due to the width of the hull which is 73 meters, we have chartered the biggest semi-submersible vessel in the world, the “Dockwise Vanguard”, which is expected to load the hull from Singapore in December this year”, says Lars Skov Christensen, project manager Blue Water Singapore.

The pontoons which are the basis of the lower hull were shipped from the Keppel Batangas Shipyard in the Philippines to Singapore in early October and for that part of the job, Blue Water chartered the semi-submersible vessel “Xiang Rui Kou” from Chinese giant Cosco Heavy Transport. After Keppel launched the pontoons into the water off their waterfront at the yard, Blue Water arranged the tug boats to tow the pontoons from the waterfront to the anchorage position where “Xiang Rui Kou” was ready to receive its cargo. Under supervision and responsibility of Blue Water’s team of experts the pontoons were floated onto the vessel safely. Five days later, the pontoons were smoothly discharged in Singapore.

For the remaining four rigs, however, the final decision on the loading locations and the cargo configuration per shipment has not yet been made. The 6 rigs are built at various Keppel locations across Asia. The completion works of the rigs will be executed at the BrasFELS shipyard in Angra dos Reis, Brazil.

[mappress]
Press Release, October 28, 2013