Page 23: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 15, 1973)

Evans Deakin To Build

Santa Fe International

Semisubmersible Drilling Unit

Santa Fe International Corp., Orange, Calif., has contracted for construction of a newly de- signed, compact semisubmersible drilling unit capable of operating in severe ocean environ- ments and water depths to 1,500 feet.

President E.L. Shannon Jr. said the unit, to be named the Southern 'Cross, will be built by

Evans Deakin Industries Ltd. in Brisbane,

Australia.

The twin-hulled column-stabilized vessel was designed by Santa Fe's Engineering Services

Division with the cooperation of the Ocean

Engineering Section of Lloyd's Register of

Shipping. It is designed to meet the general •criteria for all-season operations in rough waters such as the Bass Strait and the Great

Australian Bight.

Mr. Shannon said its total structural steel weight of approximately 5,200 tons represents "the most economical initial capital outlay commensurate with structural and motion characteristics which approximate those of much larger vessels."

Design criteria include minimum motion in heave, pitch and roll, maximum mobility, and a survival capability in 100-foot seas. Operat- ing at a draft of 43 feet, the unit will have a displacement of 15,700 tons. It will be equipped for drilling to depths of 25,000 feet.

The Southern Cross is scheduled to be de- livered in May 1975. It is expected to operate in Australian waters.

Its upper hull, a watertight flotation unit 14 feet deep, will measure 216 by 140 feet. This will be supported by six rectangular stability columns, each 60 feet high. Corner columns will measure 24 by 30 feet. Center columns, containing bulk storage tanks, will be 22 by 40 feet.

Each of the lower hulls will 'be 260 feet long with a 40-foot 'beam and a depth of 21 feet 9 inches. Low-temperature steel will be used in critical stress areas to enable the unit to work in cold climates.

The vessel will be classed by Lloyd's Regis- ter of Shipping and, in addition, will meet the stability requirements of the American Bureau of Shipping.

Air-conditioned quarters for 80 men will be provided, plus a six-man hospital and two gal- leys. The unit will be equipped with three sur- vival capsules, each with a capacity of 28 men.

Mr. Shannon said Santa Fe's goal in design- ing the rig was to provide the most efficient and economical unit possible, especially for future operations in deep water, heavy seas and cold climates. Designed for year-round operations with little weather downtime, the unit is expected to be competitive with much larger rigs on the basis of cost per foot of hole drilled, he said.

Twin hulls will give the unit excellent tow- ing characteristics and reduce the cost of long moves. The design provides for possible future installation of machinery for dynamic mooring assistance.

The Australian rig is the fourth new offshore drilling unit announced recently by Santa Fe.

The company has two jackup rigs currently under construction in a Singapore shipyard, plus a new Blue Water class vessel which is being built in Texas. In addition, Santa Fe will be the operator of two U.S.-built semisub- mersibles soon to start drilling in the North

Sea.

Pott Industries Buys

Nine Offshore Vessels

Pott Industries Inc., St. Louis, Mo., has an- nounced that an agreement had been reached to purchase nine vessels located on the Persian

Gulf from Sedco, Inc., for an undisclosed amount of cash. Pott said that eight of the vessels would be acquired and operated in the

Persian Gulf by Gulf International Marine

Corp., which is jointly owned by Pott and an- other company. The other vessel will be ac- quired by a wholly owned Pott subsidiary and operated in the North Sea.

Pott said all of the vessels will be used to service the offshore petroleum industry. It said that the majority of them is presently be- ing operated under contracts which will be assumed.

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Artist's concept of the new Santa Fe-designed semisub- mersible drilling unit, the Southern Cross, which will be built in an Australian shipyard.

November 15, 1973 29