Page 33: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (July 15, 1981)

Griffin & Alexander

Jackup Rig Commissioned

At Bethlehem-Beaumont

Griffin & Alexander Drilling

Company and Bethlehem Steel

Corporation's Beaumont, Texas, shipyard recently commissioned a 200-foot water depth, mobile offshore drilling rig. The rig was christened the Griffin-Alexander

II by its sponsor, Mrs. Lea Alex- ander, wife of J.W. Alexander, president of Griffin & Alexander

Drilling Company. The multimil- lion-dollar rig has been under con- struction for nearly 10 months and, upon delivery, will begin drilling operations in the Gulf of

Mexico for Mobil Oil Corporation.

Sherman C. Perry, general manager of the Beaumont ship- yard, said the Griffin-Alexander

II is the second of eight rigs that

Bethlehem will deliver to Griffin & Alexander over the next two years. The first was delivered earlier this year. This commis- sioning also marks the fourth rig to be delivered this year by the Beaumont yard, as well as the 86th offshore rig delivered by

Bethlehem yards.

The Griffin-Alexander II is a mat-supported jackup designed for deep-well drilling operations.

It features a cantilevered sub- structure and offers the capabil- ity of being able to position its drill floor over existing offshore production platforms in order to drill developmental wells or to rework existing wells.

On location, the rig will have a total variable load capacity of 4.5 million pounds and handle hook or rotary plus setback loads of 1 million pounds on wells as far as 35 feet aft of the platform deck. The rig will have a maxi- mum cantilever reach of 45 feet with a hook/setback load capac- ity of 750,000 pounds at the rig centerline.

The rig consists of a platform measuring 157 feet by 132 feet supported by three 11-foot-diam- eter columns fixed to a mat that is 220 feet by 185 feet. Outfitted with deep-well drilling equipment, the rig can operate in waters of up to 200 feet while experiencing forces resulting from 70-knot winds and 33-foot seas. The

Griffin-Alexander II contains on- board, air-conditioned living ac- commodations for 50 persons, in- cluding sleeping quarters, galley, laundry and recreation facilities.

The rig was designed and built to comply with the current safety standards of the United States

Coast Guard, plus the American

Bureau of Shipping standards for construction of mobile offshore drilling units.

Lima Electric Announces

New Model Alternator-

Literature Available

The Lima Electric Company,

Inc., a Condec Company, has add- ed another model, the MAC II™, to its product line of 1,200-rpm alternators. According to the manufacturer, the new unit com- bines the simplicity and reliabil- ity of the proven MAC® (Motor

Application Characteristic) self- regulating, synchronous brush- less alternator with a space-sav- ing mechanical configuration.

Lima alternators are in wide use aboard workboats, fishing vessels, jackup rigs, and other offshore craft. The MAC II, from its aluminum alloy and stainless- steel shell to its fully protected internal parts, is derived from a long line of maritime experience.

The MAC II mounts to any make engine. Its size is reflected in the small engine needed to drive it—a mere 13 bhp for the 7.5-kw unit. And its excellent ef- ficiency—77 percent at full load— means greater fuel economy for onboard electricity, Lima states.

For free literature on the MAC

II and other alternators in the

Lima product line,

Write 43 on Reader Service Card • Oval side pilot ladders e Boatswains chairs • Fids e Mallets e Serving boards e Rungs • Plugs • Boat poles e Paddles, oars • Wedges • Hatch boards a Riggers rollers e Heavy lift spreaders e Auto spreaders e Pallet spreaders e Pyrotechnic

U.S.C.G./SOLAS

REGULATION PILOT LADDER

Manufactured in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard and SOLAS regulations. Steps all 1-3/16 thick grooved for non-skid surface. Hearts and 70' spreaders standard. All steps are pressure tested to 750 lbs. and branded with manufacturer s name. All wood parts treated with Fed. Spec. TT-W-572 pre- servative. Can be manufactured with rubber step segments.

A.L.Don Company

Foot of Dock Street, Matawan, N.J. 07747 201/541-7880 TELEX: 139374

A Division of Steelstran Industries

July 15, 1981 Write 149 on Reader Service Card

BELCHER 102-BIG AND VERSATILE. The biggest barge ever built in this country for the transportation of oil and probably the largest ever constructed anywhere for the movement of petroleum products.

Double skinned with dimensions of 640 feet long by 105 feet wide and 48 feet deep, she has a capacity of 55,000 DWT or 412,000 barrels.

With five deep well cargo pumps and a piping system with the same number of possible segregations, Belcher 102 is a highly versatile cargo unit. Handling five different products at one time without fear of mixing, coupled with the inherent ease of cleaning of double skin barge tanks for change of cargo, are character- istics which materially enhance the flex- ibility of employment of this equipment.

The wing tanks and double bottom are employed as segregated ballast tanks with a separate pumping system. This permits the taking on of ballast while discharging cargo or conversely, the pumping off of ballast while loading cargo. This ballast system and a 1,000 horsepower bow thruster both signifi- cantly reduce in port turnaround time of the vessel.

Galveston Shipbuilding Company is the leading Gulf Coast builder of deep notched ocean going barges for push towed operations. While Galveston builds the cargo unit of the tug-barge combination, other Gulf yards specializ- ing in boat construction, build the tug.

Using different and highly specialized yards to build the power (tug) and cargo (barge) units, usually results in obtaining superior quality construction at signifi- cantly lower prices than would normally be expected when building both units in the same shipyard.

Let's get together and talk about your marine transportation requirements.

For a better barge at a competitive price, get a Galveston Shipbuilding bid.

Contact Nat McClure at Galveston Ship- building Company today.

GALVESTON SHIPBUILDING COMPANY 6800 PORT INDUSTRIAL BLVD. / P. O. BOX 2660 / GALVESTON. TEXAS 77553

TELEPHONE (713) 744-0491 / TELEX: 76 5442 GALV SHIP / INTRACOASTAL CANAL MILE 355

Write 188 on Reader Service Card 35