Bethlehem-Beaumont Yard Commissions Jackup— Gets Order For Two More

O & U Drilling, Inc. of Beaumont, Texas, and Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Beaumont shipyard recently commissioned an offshore jackup drilling rig and announced the ordering of two other rigs.

One of the new rigs will be built at the Beaumont yard, and the second at the Singapore shipyard.

Commissioned was the Gulfdrill I, with Mrs. George H. Galloway, wife of the president of Amoco Production Company, as the sponsor. Upon delivery, the rig will work for Amoco in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Gulfdrill I is a mat-supported jackup that features a cantilevered substructure. It offers the capability to position its drill floor over existing offshore production platforms in order to drill developmental wells or to rework existing wells. Being matsupported, the unit can operate on a wide range of bottom soil conditions.

On location, the rig offers a variable load capacity of four million pounds, and handles hook plus setback loads of one million pounds, on wells as far as 32 feet past the aft end of the platform.

The maximum cantilever reach of the rotary is 40 feet, with a hook/ setback load capacity of 800,000 pounds at rig centerline.

The structure consists of a platform that is 157 feet by 120 feet, supported by three 9-foot-diameter columns fixed to a large stabilizing mat that is 192 feet by 160 feet. Outfitted with deep-well drilling equipment, the rig can operate in waters up to 150 feet deep. It can withstand hurricane forces resulting from 100-knot winds and 55-foot seas in water depths up to 125 feet.

The Gulfdrill I contains onboard, air-conditioned living accommodations for 50 people, complete with sleeping quarters, galley, recreation room, laundry, and rest rooms, and is built to comply with United States Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping standards for offshore drilling units.

The rig ordered by O & U for construction in Singapore is scheduled for delivery in October 1981, and the one to be built at Beaumont is scheduled for delivery in January 1982. Similar to the Gulfdrill I, they are matsupported with cantilevered substructures and thus offer similar operating advantages. These units are designed to operate in waters to 200 feet deep.

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 10, Nov 1980

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First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.