Another deepwater semi-submersible rig order for Keppel
Keppel Offshore & Marine subsidiary Fernvale has secured a contract worth about $809 million from Urca Drilling, a subsidiary of Sete Brasil, for the design and construction of a semisubmersible drilling rig based on Keppel's proprietary DSSTM 38E design.
The DSSTM 38E is an enhancement of Keppel's DSSTM 38 design, with improved capability and operability, to meet the stringent requirements of the Brazil, Africa and Gulf of Mexico regions. Scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2015, the rig is intended to support the exploration of Brazil's estimated 50 billion barrels of deep-sea oil and gas reserves.
The DSSTM 38E is rated to drill to depths of 10,000m below the rotary table in 3,000m water depth. It is 108m in length, with a main deck size of 73m square. Its operational displacement is about 45,000 tonnes. Accommodation facilities will house a crew of up to 160.
The vessel is designed to stay in position via eight azimuthing thrusters and the configurations comply with ABS DPS-3 requirements.
