Page 18: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 15, 1981)

The jackup offshore mobile drilling unit J pleted this year by the Beaumont Yard o

Christen Jackup

At Bethlehem Steel

Southern Drilling Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ma- rine Drilling Company, and Beth- lehem Steel Corporation's Beau- mont, Texas, shipyard recently commissioned a 200-foot water depth mobile offshore drilling rig.

The rig was christened J Storm

XVII by its sponsor, Mrs. Gino

Giusti, wife of Dr. Gino Giusti, president of Texasgulf, Inc.,

Stamford, Conn. The multimil- lion-dollar rig has been under construction for nearly 10 months, and upon delivery will begin drilling operations in the

Gulf of Mexico for Texasgulf.

Sherman C. Perry, general

Storm XVII was the seventh rig com- f Bethlehem Steel.

J. Storm XVII 's Beaumont Yard manager of the Beaumont ship- yard, said the rig was the sev- enth to be completed this year by the yard. The yard is currently working on a backlog of 10 sim- ilar rigs scheduled to be deliv- ered over the next year and a half.

The J Storm XVII is a mat- supported jackup designed for deep-well drilling operations. On location, the rig will have a total variable drilling load capacity of 4.5 million pounds and handle hook or rotary plus setback loads of up to one million pounds.

The rig consists of a platform measuring 132 feet by 157 feet, supported by three 11-foot-diam- eter columns fixed to a mat that is 185 feet by 220 feet. Outfitted with deep-well drilling equipment, the rig can operate in water depths of up to 200 feet. The

J Storm XVII contains onboard, air-conditioned living accommo- dations for 46 persons, including sleeping quarters, galley, laundry, recreation facilities, and a three- bed hospital room.

The J Storm XVII was designed and built to comply with the cur- rent safety standards of the

United States Coast Guard plus the American Bureau of Ship- ping rules for the construction of mobile offshore drilling units.

Mississippi Marine Delivers

M/V Redneck—Second Of Three

Towboats For Captain Hollinger

The towboat M/V Redneck is powered by two GM 16V-71 engines.

D. John Nichols, president of

Mississippi Marine Towboat Cor- poration, Greenville, Miss., an- nounced recently the delivery of the M/V Redneck to Capt. W.A. (Peanut) Hollinger of Greenville.

The 56-foot by 22-foot by 7-foot 6-inch, 1,000-hp towboat is the second of three ordered by Cap- tain Hollinger, and is the sister vessel to the M/V Cole.

The vessel is built to meet the rugged demands of fleeting serv- ice. The hull is constructed of %- inch and yL.-inch plate with heavy 1-inch plate head log and tran- som. Corner wrappers of 1-inch plate and a %-inch formed rub rail located port and starboard provide additional hull protection.

The vessel is powered by two

GM 16V-71 main propulsion en- gines coupled to a pair of Twin

Disc MG-518 (4.5:1) reduction gears. The gears turn two 5y2- inch-diameter shafts. The wheels are specially designed 50-inch by 46-inch, four-blade, stainless-steel with extra heavy edge thickness and increased blade area ratio.

The main engine cooling is pro- vided by Fernstrum grid coolers and the engines are ontrolled by

Morse MD-24 cable controls.

The vessel is equipped with two steering rudders and four flank- ing rudders. The mechanical over hydraulic system is main en- gine driven. While the vessel is equipped with a pair of 12-kw, model A2D 12000 Dieselec, air- cooled generator sets, a separate 12-volt system also is provided, enabling the vessel to operate without the generators. Naviga- tion lights and other necessary lighting are dual 12-volt dc and 120-volt ac. The two power winch- es are Skipper Hydraulic, 25-ton, powered by the main-engine- driven hydraulic pumps and res- ervoir package, which also allows for operation of the vessel with- out the use of the generator sets.

Air conditioning is provided in the vessel's pilothouse and in the main deck galley room. A com- pact galley unit is provided on the main deck with gravity-fed water systems from the deck above. The M/V Redneck's raised pilothouse provides a 25-foot 6- inch eye level and 360-degree vis- ibility. A catwalk and stairs pro- vide access to both empty barges as well as the vessel's main deck.

The M/V Redneck is another example of Mississippi Marine's ability and willingness to build vessels specifically tailored to meet the needs of a customer's particular operation. Captain Hol- linger wanted a simple, no frills type vessel, designed to suit his operation. Mississippi Marine is also building two 1,800 to 2,400- shp pushboats, one 1,000-hp work boat, and a 143-foot offshore geo- physical vessel, for various com- panies.

From left: Dr. Gino Giusti, Mrs. James C. Storm, James C. Storm, Sherman Perry, and Mrs. Gino Giusti, sponsor. 22 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News