Santa Fe Drilling Co., Alhambra, Calif., let a contract to Far East Levingston Shipyard (FELS), Singapore, to build a Monarch class harsh environment jack up.
The rig, planned for delivery in early 1992, will be able to operate year round under North Sea conditions in water depths to 310 ft, seasonally to 350 ft. It will be outfitted with three mud pumps, top drive, automatic pipe handling, a high volume mud system, and more than 10,000 hp generating capacity.
The rig will be built within the rules of the American Bureau of Shipping, U.S. Coast Guard, International Maritime Organization, and the U.K. Department of Energy and will be available for worldwide work.
It is the fourth harsh environment deepwater jack up in Santa Fe's present building program. FELS accounts for three of them.
FELS is building Santa Fe's Galaxi I, a Friede & Goldman designed Universe class jack up, with delivery expected in mid-1991.
Santa Fe says Galaxi I will be the world's largest capacity jack up, capable of working year round in the Central North Sea in water depths to 360 ft.
In November 1989, the drilling firm took delivery of the Monarch class Monitor jack up now under contract with Shell Brunei, and in November 1987 Santa Fe bought the Monarch, formerly Columbus Explorer, built by FELS.
Santa Fe Drilling, a subsidiary of Santa Fe International Corp., owns and operates 18 jack ups, three semisubmersibles, and more than 25 land and other marine units.
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