W e s t e r n Oceanic Inc. To Build 300-Ft. W a t er Depth Jackup

Western Oceanic Inc. and Far East- Levingston Shipbuilding Ltd. announced they have signed a contract for the construction of a mobile self-elevating drilling unit for operation in up to 300-foot water depths. The unit will be built in Singapore for delivery in March 1981. The unit is currently available for drilling contract.

The jackup is to be constructed to specifications drawn up by Western Oceanic to meet their operational requirements, incorporating living quarters for 84 men, a heavy cantilever feature for development drilling as well as exploratory drilling tasks, ability to withstand relatively severe environmental conditions, as well as the ability to work in water depths down to 13 or 14 feet. The basic design of this jackup is the Friede & Goldman L-780 series, and will meet the latest requirements of the American Bureau of Shipping and the United States Coast Guard. The basic dimensions of the hull are 185 feet by 175 feet by 25 feet, with legs 416 feet 7 inches long overall. An electrically driven rack and pinion system will be used, of standard Armco National Supply design, operating at an elevating speed of 1.5 f t ./ min.

This latest addition to the Western Oceanic fleet will be the 14th mobile offshore drilling unit to be built for Western Oceanic, joining a current fleet of four semisubmersibles and seven jackups of various types and sizes. Western Oceanic Inc. is headquartered in Houston, Texas, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Western Company of North America located in Fort Worth, Texas.

Far-East-Levingston Shipbuilding Ltd. is an entirely Singapore-owned builder of offshore equipment, who have in the past built an unusually wide range of different types of jackups for U.S.A. and other drilling contractors.

Other recent projects have involved jumbo and standard drilling tenders, drillships, dynamically positioned vessels, semisubmersibles, and pipelay barges.

Other stories from January 1980 issue

Content

Maritime Reporter

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