By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Aug 29 -- Drilling contractor Pride International Inc., Houston, has placed an order for construction of a fourth advanced-capability, ultradeepwater drillship to be constructed at the Samsung Heavy Industries Ltd. (SHI) shipyard in Geoje, South Korea.
The vessel, which will cost $745 million, is scheduled for delivery in fourth-quarter 2011 following construction, commissioning, and system integrated testing.
The new drillship, as yet unnamed, is based on an SHI proprietary hull design 750 ft long, 140 ft wide, and offering a pay load exceeding 20,000 tonnes. The unit is designed to drill in water as deep as 12,000 ft, with a TVD of 40,000 ft.
It will have off-line tubular stand building capabilities, and will feature dynamic positioning in compliance with DPS-3 certification. The rig, which initially will be equipped for drilling in water as deep as 10,000 ft, will have expanded drilling fluids capacity, a 1,000-ton capacity hoisting system, and living quarters for as many as 200 persons.
Louis A. Raspino, Pride International president and chief executive officer, said access to the world's premium shipyards currently is highly constrained, "with no known opportunities to provide customers with new ultradeepwater capacity before the end of 2011 and with several units already ordered with expected deliveries in 2012. We believe demand for ultradeepwater rig capacity extends well into the next decade."
The delivery date, he said, "provides a unique opportunity to address a growing base of customers with ultradeepwater rig needs in the early part of the next decade."
