Keppel Fels delivers World's Largest Jackup Rig to Maersk Drilling 30 Days Early
Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS) has delivered the ultra-harsh jackup rig, Maersk Integrator, to Maersk Drilling, a wholly owned subsidiary of A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S, thirty days ahead of schedule, on budget, and with a perfect safety record.
The rig was named at a ceremony today in Keppel FELS by Ms. Margareth Øvrum, Executive Vice President, Technology, Projects and Drilling, Statoil.
Maersk Integrator is an XL Enhanced (XLE) harsh environment jackup rig and the third in the XLE series delivered to Maersk Drilling. It has been customised for operations in the North Sea and has been chartered on a four-year term by Statoil for development drilling in the Gina Krog field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.
Mr. Chow Yew Yuen, CEO of Keppel Offshore & Marine, said, “This is the world's largest rig and the third one in the series we have delivered to Maersk Drilling. Our achievement in delivering it so far ahead of schedule is a result of our execution excellence, good teamwork with Maersk Drilling and process improvements over three repeat projects. We have developed a strong partnership with Maersk Drilling, having built eight jackups and four semisubmersibles for them over the years.”
Collaborations between Keppel and Maersk Drilling span some 30 years and include the design, engineering, repair and construction of a variety of rigs and ships.
Mr. Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling and member of the Executive Board in the Maersk Group, said, “With Maersk Integrator, we now have three of the world’s largest, ultra-harsh environment jackup rigs which enables us to offer a strong suite of solutions to the Norwegian jackup market. The XLE rigs we have in operation now are performing very well: Maersk Intrepid at the Martin Linge field for Total Norway and Maersk Interceptor at Ivar Aasen for Det norske oljeselskap ASA. The early delivery and good performance of Keppel FELS is one of the reasons why we continually partner with Keppel. They have been able to consistently provide value-added services while delivering products of the highest technical abilities to our satisfaction.”
The XLE rig has a leg length of 206.8 meters (678 feet) and is designed for year-round operations in the North Sea, in water depths up to 150 meters (492 feet).
Maersk Drilling has an ambition of becoming a significant contributor to the Maersk Group with a profit (NOPAT) of USD 1 billion by 2018, while conducting incident-free operations. The modern fleet counts 22 drilling rigs including drillships, deepwater semisubmersibles and high-end jackup rigs. Further, Maersk Drilling has one ultra-harsh environment jackup rig and one ultra-deepwater drillship under construction. Maersk Drilling employs an international staff of 4,000 people and generated a profit (NOPAT) of USD 528 million in 2013.
Keppel FELS is a subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), a wholly owned company of Keppel Corporation Limited. Keppel FELS is a leading designer, builder and repairer of high-performance mobile offshore rigs. Its portfolio of proprietary designs and floating production solutions meets a broad spectrum of operating requirements, including deep waters and harsh environments.
As a group, Keppel O&M is also a leader in ship repair and conversion, and specialised shipbuilding. Its near-market, near-customer strategy is bolstered by a global network of 20 yards and offices in the Asia Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, the Caspian Sea, Middle East, and North Sea regions. Integrating the experience and expertise of its yards worldwide, the group aims to be the provider of choice and partner for solutions for the offshore and marine industry.
This article was originally published on Marine & Industrial Report newspaper Vol 37 No.2 Issue last April 30 ,2015.
