DSME gets Transocean drillship

The Houston-based offshore drilling contractor Transocean Inc. has placed an order with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering yard (DSME)in Okpo, South Korea, for the construction of a dynamically positioned, double-hull drill rig ship. When delivered in early 2009, the $615 million enhanced Enterprise-Class drillship will be chartered to Norway’s Norsk Hydro for 6 years.

The rig will feature Transocean’s patented dual-activity drilling technology, allowing for parallel drilling operations designed to save time and money in deepwater well construction, compared with conventional rigs. The dual-activity technology, along with a new and enhanced top drive system, an expanded high-pressure mud-pump system and other unique features of the drillship target the drilling of wells up to 40,000 feet of total depth. The rig will have a variable deckload of more than 20,000 tonnes and is designed to drill in water depths of up to 12,000 feet.

Under the drilling contract with Norsk Hydro is expected to start by mid-2009 after shipyard construction, sea trials, and mobilization to the Gulf of Mexico and customer acceptance. The start date is contingent on vendor performance and other factors.

The newbuilding will be the second unit to be constructed for Transocean in the DSME yard, following the previously awarded five-year contract from Chevron Corporation for the ?Discoverer Clear Leader?. Both units are enhanced versions of the company’s three predecessor Enterprise-class drillships, which have set drilling records in recent years, including the water-depth drilling record of 10,011 feet held by the ?Discoverer Deep Seas?.