Page 30: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 1983)

Drilling Rig Dry Transport Cuts 11,000-Mile Sailing Time In Half

The self-propelled, $82-million, drilling rig High Seas Driller, built by Daewoo Shipbuilding's Okpo facility, was transported to the

North Sea by the Ferncarrier. The heavy transport ship was devel- oped by JL Heavyweight Trans- port of Denmark and was specially designed to carry large or awk- ward loads such as drilling rigs or other steel structures.

Although the High Seas Driller is self-propelled, transport via the

Ferncarrier almost doubled the rig's speed by traveling at more than 9 knots, cutting travel time by about one half.

The loading process began at

Daewoo's Okpo Shipyard. The

Ferncarrier's bow and stern are separated by a large depressed

Drilling rig High Seas Driller, built by Daewoo Shipbuilding, being on-loaded aboard the heavy loading area of 360 by 125 feet. To transport Ferncarrier. accommodate its load, the ship takes on water, in the manner of a submarine, submerging its load- ing area to a depth of 22 feet. The semisubmersible rig was towed into position and the ship shed its ballast and surfaced. When loaded, the derrick of the High Seas Driller towers 350 feet above the deck and the two pontoons protrude some 65 feet on each side of the M/V

Ferncarrier.

The voyage through the China

Sea and the Indian Ocean was rough with head winds and heavy seas. After having traveled in ex- cess of 11,000 nautical miles in a 36-day sea voyage, the High Seas

Driller was in service approxi- mately 50 days earlier than if it had spent the estimated 85 days under its own power.

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Notional Supply Advances

Ayers To Product Manager

Robert L. Ayers

To further strengthen National

Supply Company's technical sup- port to customers, Robert L. Ay- ers has been named product man- ager and sales administrator for the firm's National Drilling

Equipment Division. "In addition to division mate- rials management, Mr. Ayers new responsibilities focus entirely on customer support," said division president William N. Selvig, who announced the appointment. "His group not only will provide technical assistance with special emphasis on cranes and marine products, but Mr. Ayers will spearhead a customer-involve- ment effort to determine what kinds of product developments and improvements would be most help- ful and practical in day-to-day op- erations. We're fortunate to have a person of Bob Ayer's back- ground and experience to head up this important area."

Mr. Ayers joined Armco, Na- tional's parent firm, in 1973 as a salesman. He held various posi- tions with Armco before being named president of Baylor Com- pany, the national supply unit which makes drilling rig brakes, electronic power control equip- ment and other components.

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