'Griffin-Alexander I' Now In Service- First Of Eight Costing $280 Million

Griffin-Alexander Drilling Company has announced that the first of its eight new jackup drilling rigs is now in service. The Griffin- Alexander I (shown above under tow), a Bethlehem cantilever design, m a t - s u p p o r t e d jackup built by Bethlehem Steel at its Beaumont, Texas, shipyard, is now on location and drilling in the Gulf of Mexico for Atlantic Richfield in Mustang Island, Block 762, approximately 50 miles offshore Corpus Christi, Texas. The second and third rigs, also jackups of Bethlehem design, are expected to be completed in June and September, respectively, and also will go into service in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Griffin-Alexander I and II were announced simulta"neously in December 1979 by Griffin-Alexander Drilling, which subsequently placed orders for six additional jackups that are now under construction in Texas and Maryland shipyards. The rigs represent an aggregate cost of approximately $280 million. "We were the first start-up company to order two rigs for their entry into the offshore drilling business and look forward to providing the kind of service the industry wants and expects of a contract drilling company, now and in the future," Loy D. Griffin, chairman of Griffin- Alexander, said.

The G-A I has a rated water depth of 200 feet, drilling depth to 25,000 feet, and quarters for 50 personnel. Hull dimensions are 157 feet by 132 feet by 18 feet.

Drilling, e q u i p m e n t includes a MIDCO 1220 drawworks; Gardner- Denver PZ11 1,600-hp pumps; three 12-cylinder Electro-Motive Division 1^650-bhp engines; and a Gardner-Denver 37y2-inch rotary table.

The firm of Griffin-Alexander was organized just over a year ago by the two veterans of the offshore drilling industry. Loy D.

(Butch) Griffin, chairman of the board of G-A, served with Global Marine, Dresser Industries, and as a financial consultant specializing in mergers and acquisitions before being named chairman of Griffin-Alexander.

Bill Alexander, president of G-A, formerly was employed by Union Oil of California and another offshore drilling company.

Other stories from June 1981 issue

Content

Maritime Reporter

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