Offshore Notes Gorilla VII Loaded
The Rowan Gorilla VII Jack-up rig that was built by the Marathon LeTourneau Super Gorilla and is headed for offshore Angola was loaded in the harbor of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on board Mighty Servant 1. The Rowan Gorilla VII is both a very large and heavy cargo: its overall length is 121.43 m. Weighing 27,897 metric ton it's one of the heaviest jack-up drilling rigs that have ever been transported by Dockwise Shipping B.V. Other interesting specifications of the cargo are the total height of no less than 195.28 m and the overall width of 91.44 m. The first rig transported for Rowan Companies Inc. was the Rowan Alaska during the summer of 1982.
J. Ray McDermott Wins Platong Gas II Project
J. Ray McDermott S. A. said that subsidiaries of the company were recently awarded an engineering, procurement, construction and installation contract by Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production for the Platong Gas II Project in the Gulf of Thailand. The contract encompasses the full EPCI scope associated with the project's central processing platform, representing a float-over deck weight of approximately 19,000 tons. Additional work in the contract includes J. Ray providing EPCI services for the associated living-quarters platform, flare tripod and three bridges. Engineering work has commenced at J. Ray's Singapore office and installation is expected in the Gulf of Thailand by the end of 2010.
Neptune Start-Up Delayed by Hull "Anomolies"
Start up of the Neptune tension leg platform (TLP) in the Gulf of Mexico was delayed in March when BHP Billiton found "structural anomalies" in the hull. The Neptune TLP, which is located approximately 120 miles off the Louisiana coastline, was scheduled to start up first oil and natural gas production by the end of March. BHP Billiton is designated operator of the field with a 35 percent interest. Partners include Marathon Oil Company (30 per cent), Woodside Energy (USA) Inc. (20 percent), a subsidiary of Woodside Petroleum Ltd., and Maxus (U.S.) Exploration Company (15 percent). Neptune is a single-column TLP and was installed in 4,250 ft. (1,300 m) of water on Green Canyon Block 613. The Neptune field comprises five blocks: Atwater Valley 573, 574, 575, 617 and 618 where water depths range from 4,200 to 6,500 ft. (1,275 to 2,000 m).
$10m to Create 1,000 New Shipbuilding Jobs
Last month Governor Bobby Jindal, Louisiana Economic Development Secretary (LED) Stephen Moret and company officials announced that Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) will expand its Louisiana shipyard operations at the Port of Terrebonne. The $10m investment being requested by Governor Jindal in the second special session will help bring 1,000 new jobs with an average annual salary of $54,000. "We at Edison Chouest Offshore are proud of our Louisiana heritage and are excited about the creation of 1,000 jobs in Terrebonne Parish," said Gary Chouest, president of Edison Chouest Offshore. At the Port of Terrebonne, Edison Chouest Offshore, through its sister company LaShip, will build vessels to support growing deepwater offshore oil and gas industry needs for vessels with hull lengths greater than 350 ft. Pending legislative approval, the state will provide $10m to support infrastructure improvements at the Port of Terrebonne to accommodate the company's expansion investment. The Port of Terrebonne also will receive a $4m grant from the Governor's Rapid Response Fund to complete the infrastructure improvements.
Rolls-Royce wins $73m Petrobras contract
Rolls-Royce won an order from Petrobras for an additional four gas turbine power generation packages, valued at $73m for use on a new offshore platform. This brings the number of RollsRoyce gas turbine generator sets for Petrobras offshore projects to 27 since 2001, with a total value of more than $300m. The new order is for RB211-powered generating set packages for the $1.2b P-56 semi-submersible platform, which is part of the development of the Marlim Sul field, located off the coast of Rio de Janeiro in the Campos Basin.
FPSO Project Contract Awarded
J. Ray McDermott said that its subsidiary J. Ray McDermott Far East Inc., has received a Letter of Award for engineering, procurement and construction of 6,500 tons of topside modules for the Peregrino FPSO (floating, production, storage and offloading) by A.P. Moller - Maersk A/S (Maersk Contractors). Engineering and procurement activity have commenced while the fabrication scope is expected to begin in the third quarter 2008. Construction of the 6,500 tons of topside modules will commence in the third quarter 2008 at J. Ray's Batam Island facility in Indonesia. Up to 1,200 Indonesian craftsmen are expected to be employed on this project at J. Ray's Batam fabrication facility. The Peregrino FPSO project is expected to be complete by the fourth quarter 2009. The FPSO will ultimately operate in the Peregrino field, located in the Campos Basin approximately 85 km offshore Brazil. Under the development plan, the field is to be designed with the FPSO and two drilling platforms.
April 2008
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