Monday, August 20, 2012

Offshore drilling activities outlook still thriving ahead 2012

Barring the outcome of the severity of recession emanating from Europe, supply and inventories are low enough to keep oil prices firm. Oil prices also will likely to hold up if governments opt to print more money in response to over-leveraged situations in the Europe and US.
From a supply/demand standpoint and from a global money situation, oil will continue to be the main driver of activity, particularly in North America, where drilling is expected to see double-digit growth, mostly in the liquids-rich and oil plays.
Due to typically slower growth rates, the international market will see growth of 6% to 9% or less. Higher natural gas prices in most international markets will support continued production in shale and other unconventional gas plays, particularly in Australia and South America.

Courtesy of Rowan N-class
The global jackup market is probably poised for a rebound, as utilization has increased from 82% to 90%, signaling a possible increase in rig pricingand most jackup activity is driven by Brent oil prices, which have remained above $100/bbl to-date.
Asia and the Middle East are the lead currently in jackup market. About 100 jackups in Asia, including India, China and Southeast Asia, which is at the high end of the historic demand market.

The nuclear disaster in Japan and moves by Germany to shut down reactors also will bolster the outlook for LNG and oil prices are the driver for international activity simply because LNG internationally tends to be priced off oil prices or some function of oil prices.

Oil will continue to be the focus of activity in the GOM, but ongoing and heightened regulations and the still-slow pace by the US government to issue permits cloud the post-Macondo picture.

A positive development has been the recent large ultra-deepwater discoveries by ExxonMobil, Chevron and BHP Billiton in the highly pressurized Lower Tertiary geological formation.

There is a return to more activities in the Gulf, with operators allocating more time and resources in the geoscience departments for future developments as a result an increase in rig rates and support for more drilling going into 2012.
The active deepwater rig count in the Gulf had moved up to more than 20 by early October, higher than it was last year but still well below pre-Macondo levels. 
ENSCO 8500 Semi Rig
There are 23 (active deepwater) rigs in the Gulf now, but there are questions about what will happen when that work is completed. There is not a pipeline of other projects with permits in place. That increases the risk that rigs could once again be realizing reduced dayrates while waiting for work. Both operators and rig owners suffer under those circumstances.
Meanwhile, new regulations mandating such activities as unannounced spill drills and stronger disclosure requirements have been implemented. On 1 October, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) split into two agencies. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) will be responsible for inspections, enforcement and safety of offshore oil and gas operations. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will oversee energy leasing and planning on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), along with offshore leasing, resource evaluation, review and administration of oil and gas exploration and development plans.

The U.S. Gulf continues to thrive and grow. Witness the latest big contract going to Seadrill Offshore that's worth a whopping $4 billion for a total of 19 rig years for three ultradeepwater drillships for work in the Gulf of Mexico. Two of the drillships, the West Auriga and West Vela, won’t be delivered until February and May 2013 with startup set for later that year. The third drillship already is operating and will be named at a later date (kind of like a baseball trade). The potential contract also includes mobilization fees for the newbuild units.

Another driller, Noble Corp., signed a three-year contract for one of its ultradeepwater drillships under construction and set for delivery during the fourth quarter 2013. Anadarko Petroleum contracted the Noble Bob Douglas. Startup is set for the first quarter 2014. The day rate reported by Noble is $618,000 including mobilization revenue. Noble also has two newbuild drillships under construction that are still available.

Also, the newbuild deepwater semisubmersible Ensco 8506, the last of the seven rigs  that is set for delivery this year from KeppelFELS in Singapore, is contracted to Anadarko in the Gulf from December 2012 through June 2015.


 
Transocean’s drillship Discoverer Deep Seas received a three-year contract from March 2013 through March 2016 from Murphy at a day rate of $595,000. The rig is presently contracted to Chevron until March 2013 for $450,000 a day.

Other potential contracts could go to Rowan Companies, which has three newbuld drillships under construction with deliveries scheduled for 2013 and 2014.

With high (but fluctuating) oil prices and plenty of new potential acreage to drill due to two recent successful lease sales, operators and drilling contractors are expected to announce several additional long-term, high day-rate drilling contracts for rigs destined for the Gulf. If operators don’t hurry and charter rigs for delivery during 2013, they might have to wait to begin their drilling programs in 2014 as rig deliveries are snapped up.


Below courtesy of International Strategy and Investment Group :

Rig Outlook 2012 06-27ofs


Global Offshore outlook - courtesy of Douglas Westwood :-
Global Offshore Prospects



Semi Offshore 000 2008 Drillrig Poster - Courtesy Offshore Magazine

Sunday, August 19, 2012

High-End Windmill installation vessel in the market

 
The year 2011 offshore wind power market was :

• 235 new offshore wind turbines, in nine wind farms, worth some €2.4

billion, were fully grid connected between 1 January and 31 December 2011, totalling 866 MW, 17 MW less than 2010.

• 246 turbines were erected during 2011, an average of 2.6 MW per day. 81 of these turbines are awaiting grid connection.

• Three experimental foating concepts were erected, one of which was a fullscale grid connected concept.
• Offshore work began on a further fve projects and preparatory onshore work on nine new projects.

Market outlook :

• Once completed, the nine offshore projects currently under construction will increase installed capacity by a further 2,375 MW, bringing cumulative capacity in Europe to 6,188 MW.

• Preparatory work has started on nine other projects, these have a cumulative installed capacity of 2,910 MW.

Trends:  Turbines, foundations, water depth and distance to shore  :

• The average offshore wind farm size in 2011 was almost 200MW up 29% (45MW) on the previous year.
• Average water depth in 2011 reached 22.8m, substantially more than 2010.
• Average distance to shore decreased, being 23.4km in 2011 compared to 27.1km the previous year. 


Mr Keesjan Cordia, CEO of Seafox said, "The fact that Seafox 5 has already received a charter for immediate work speaks of the strength of the MPSEP design, the reputation of Keppel-made products and Seafox's track record in multi-support service jackups across the world.

"We see that demand for such vessels will continue to rise with the commercialisation of 5MW wind turbines over the next few years. Seafox 5 is a new generation vessel which will be able to out-perform existing marine assets both on cost and efficiency in wind installation. In addition, this state-of-the-art vessel has been specifically designed to meet all the requirements of both the offshore wind and the oil & gas industries in harsh environments."
Measuring 50m wide and 151m end-to-end, Seafox 5 will be among a handful of purpose-built jackups with a 1200-tonne heavy lift capacity and capable of installing both turbines and large foundations exceeding 800 tonnes in weight.

Together with its environmental capabilities, stability coverage, deck space of 3,600m2 and a variable load of 7,000 MT, it is able to outperform most other jackups and be competitive with the floating heavy lift vessels.

                                                                      Courtesy of Windydigitalchina




Seafox 5 designed by KeppelFels OTD

Designed by Keppel's research and development arm, Offshore Technology Development (OTD), Seafox 5 is a self-propelled installation jackup vessel utilising Keppel FELS' proven jacking technology. Equipped with Dynamic Positioning 2 (DP-2) capabilities, the vessel is elevated above sea level by four legs which provide 30m of clearance between the legs & crane for easy cargo access.

Seafox 5 has a large carrying capacity of up to 12 x 3.6MW turbines, three jackets or four tripods at a time, which enhances the efficiency of constructing offshore wind farms.

In addition to being well-suited for servicing offshore wind farms, it also meets the stringent operating regulations of the offshore oil and gas industry and can support a wide range of related activities such as accommodation, hook-up, commissioning, well intervention, maintenance, construction and decommissioning.

Features of Seafox 5 - A KFELS MPSEP design         

Operates in deeper waters Max. 65-70 meters
Wider operating window All-year-round
Larger deck space 3600m2
Higher loading capacity 7000 metric tonnes
Higher carrying capacity Up to 12 x 3.6MW turbines, 6 6MW turbines, 3 jackets or 4 tripods
Larger crane capacity 1200 tonnes ( Liebherr )
Accommodates bigger crew 150 people






The Group services a global range of customers with a primary focus on the Southern North Sea in Europe. It has extensive experience operating and managing assets in this region, which is known for its stringent rules and regulations, and difficult environment.




                                                             Below clip with courtesy of  "Seajacks" :



Below with courtesy of Emre Uraz, Master thesis presentation on offshore wind turbine installation analyses :

Final Presentation Emre Uraz





More on Ultra-deepwater drilling Semi-rig

Scarabeo 9 is one of the largest offshore drilling rigs in the world. It is the first (and as of 2012 the only) Frigstad Engineering developed Frigstad D90 design rig ever built. The rig is able to operate at the water depth up to 11,811 feet (3,600 m), which is classified by the oil industry as "ultra-deepwater", and its drilling depth is 15,200 metres (49,900 ft). The water depth still suitable for its operations is twice as much as for Deepwater Horizon.The drilling equipment was provided by the Norwegian engineering company Aker Solutions.
Scarabeo 9 has a length of 115 metres (377 ft) and a breadth of 78 metres (256 ft). Its gross tonnage is 36,863, dead weight tonnage 23,965, and net tonnage 11,059 tonnes. The vessel is powered by eight Wärtsilä 12V32 diesel engines. It is equipped with two cranes.

DNV Class Notation:
1A1 Column-stabilised HELDK CRANE ECO F-AM DYNPOS-AUTRO   POSMOOR DRILL

Flag: Bahamas Signal Letters: C6YV7

Port: NASSAU
Owner: Saipem Maritime Asset Management Luxembourg S.A.R.L. GT : 36,863
NT (ITC 69): 11,059

Manager: SAIPEM SPA  DWT: 23,965
Yard: Yantai Raffles Shipyard Co. Ltd. (114020) Year of Build: 2011
Dynamic positioning:  DP class 3.
Eight 4.3 MW azimuth thrusters.
Mooring system: Four double drum winches with eight fairleads for connection to pre-set system.

Ram rig:  Hydraulic dual ram rig. Both main rig and auxiliary rig have 1,000 s.t capacity and full drilling capabilities.  Set back for 50,000 ft drill string/casing in 88-92 ft stands.
Rotary table: Two 60.5” with independent drive.
Top drives:  Two top drives with 1,000 s.t capacity.
Riser tensioners:  Six in line hydraulic cylinder riser tensioners.
BOP:
Two 18.75” x 10,000 psi wp annular preventors.
Five 18.75” x 15,000 psi wp ram preventors.
Riser:  10,000 ft of 21” riser.

The rig includes quarters for up to 200 workers. There is also a helicopter deck suitable for MI8, S61, and EH101 helicopters. The rig has been described by the industry sources as "the latest technology for deepwater drilling operations".

The rig cost US$750 million to build. It was constructed at the Yantai Raffles Shipyard in Yantai, China. The contract was signed on 5 April 2006, the keel was laid on 1 April 2008, and originally the construction was to be completed in September 2009. After several delays at the Yantai Raffles shipyard it was shipped to the Keppel FELS shipyard in Singapore for extra work completion in 2010.

The rig was delivered to Saipem on 25 August 2011. On her maiden voyage to Cuba, Scarabeo 9 was escorted around the Cape of Good Hope by the Fairmount Marine owned tugboat Fairmount Glacier.


More on Semi rig design :

Two years ago, Keppel FELS delivered the third DSS 21 deepwater semisubmersible drilling rig to Maersk Drilling (Maersk) 43 days ahead of schedule and with a perfect safety record, garnering a bonus of $400,000.

Tong Chong Heong, CEO of Keppel O&M, said, “We are proud to be Maersk’s preferred partner for its fleet expansion plans. The safe and early completion of Maersk Deepwater Semi III attests to the astute choice made by Maersk to build the premium fleet with Keppel FELS, as well as the solidarity and calibre of our teams working hand in glove with one another. The success of this Series of semis is built upon our long term partnership with thought-leading operators such as Maersk, who have provided the necessary platforms for our technologies to gain market ascendance".

"The demand for modern drillings rigs has increased over the past years concurrently with the growing technical challenges we are faced with in the drilling industry. The search for new finds is moving to deeper waters and areas with complex soil conditions and more advanced drilling rigs are needed to meet those challenges. Our ultra deepwater semisubmersibles are well equipped to meet this demand,” Mr Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling added.

DSS Series rigs are highly cost effective exploration units capable of drilling down 10,000 m (30,000 ft) wells and operating at a water depth of 3,000 m (10,000 ft). The Series also features a dynamic positioning system, with the ability to attach to a prelaid mooring system.

DSS Series rigs are particularly well suited to drill deep and complicated wells in areas such as offshore West Africa, Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast Asia, and may be further customised to meet the unique challenges of each location.

• Length Overall approximately 117.00 m

• Length of Pontoon 114.50 m
• Breadth Outside Pontoon 78.00 m
• Pontoon Breadth 17.50 m
• Pontoon Height 10.00 m
• Columns 17.00 x 17.50 m
• Longitudinal Distance between CL of Columns 61.50 m
• Transverse Distance between CL of Columns 60.50 m
• Length of Main Deck 78.50 m
• Breadth of Main Deck 78.00 m
• Transit draft 9.7 m

• Survival draft 16.00 m
• Operational draft (min.) 18.50 m
• Operational draft (max.) 20.50 m
• Transit displacement(Approx.) 38,960 Mt
• Survival displacement(Approx.) 48,295 Mt

Semi Rig Equipment1


Courtesy of Maersk Drilling