Diamond Offshore orders deepwater semi

Aug. 15, 2012
Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. has entered a contract with Jurong Shipyard, Singapore, for construction of a moored semisubmersible rig able to drill in as much as 6,000 ft of water.

Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. has entered a contract with Jurong Shipyard, Singapore, for construction of a moored semisubmersible rig able to drill in as much as 6,000 ft of water.

The rig, Ocean Apex, will have a variable deck load of 7,000 tons, a maximum hook-load capacity of 2 million lb, and a 15,000 psi, five-ram blowout preventer. It will have quarters capacity for 140 workers.

The Ocean Apex will use the hull from a Diamond Offshore cold-stacked unit. Its delivery is schedule for the second quarter of 2014.

Diamond Offshore estimates project cost, including commissioning, spares, and project management and excluding capitalized interest, at $370 million.