Jackup Rig For Marine Drilling Commissioned At Beth-Beaumont

Marine Drilling Company of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Beaumont shipyard recently commissioned a 200-foot water depth mobile offshore drilling vessel. James C. Storm, president of Marine Drilling, said this jackup is the third to be delivered this year by Bethlehem to his company.

During the christening ceremonies, Mrs. Joyce I. Hudson, wife of Carroll D.

Hudson, vice president of East Texas District, Arco Oil & Gas Company, commissioned the rig J. Storm XIV. Upon delivery, the unit will work in the Gulf of Mexico for Arco Oil & Gas Company.

The mat-supported jackup features a cantilevered substructure and offers the capability of being able to position its drill floor over existing offshore production platforms in order to drill development wells or to rework existing wells.

On location, J. Storm XIV will have a total variable load capacity of 4.5 million pounds, which includes hook plus setback loads of one million pounds on wells as far as 39 feet aft of the platform deck. The maximum cantilever load capacity at 45 feet is 850,000 pounds.

The new vessel consists of a platform that is 157 feet by 132 feet supported by three 11-foot-diameter columns fixed to a large stabilizing mat that is 220 feet long and 185 feet wide. Outfitted with deep-well drilling equipment, the rig will be able to operate in waters up to 200 feet deep during nonhurricane season and withstand hurricane forces resulting from 100-knot winds and 60-foot seas in water depths up to 175 feet.

The J Storm XIV contains onboard, airconditioned living accommodations for 50 people, complete with sleeping quarters, galley, recreation room, laundry, and rest rooms, and is built to comply with U.S. Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping standards for mobile offshore drilling units.

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