Page 26: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 1998)

GULF OF MEXICO REPORT

Utility Boat Building for C&E • Spirit Energy 76 Expands Deepwater Portfolio • Oceandril Secures

Management Contract • Drillship Arrives at Ingalls • Chevron Drills World-Record Deepwater Well

Clean Gulf '98 To Be Held In Mississippi

Next December, Betty Cheramie and

Robert Eymard Sr., the C&E of C&E Boat

Rental Inc., will take delivery of the first of two new 146 x 36-ft. utility boats. With a mold- ed depth of 12 ft. the boat will have a 10.5-ft. maximum draft. Designed by Frank Basile of

Entech & Associates, these versatile boats are expected to find a ready market in the Gulf of

Mexico oil patch alongside C&E's existing fleet of five utility vessels. That fleet currently includes three 110-ft. vessels, one at 135-ft. and a similar 145-ft. vessel that they launched in

August 1997. Main engines on the new 12-knot boat are a pair of Cummins KTA 38MO V-12 diesels supplied by Cummins Mid-South of

Kenner La., each delivering 750 hp at 1,600 rpm continuous. The engines drive through

Karl Senner-supplied 5:1 Reintjes WAF-561 gears to 72 x 62-in. open props. A Schottel bow thruster will be powered by a 300 hp Cummins

NT855. A pair of Cummins 6CT 8.3 litre engines power 99 kw gen sets. One of these aux- iliaries has a front mounted Twin DiscSL211 power take off for the hydraulic mud pump.

Tankage on the utility boat will include: fuel 38,000 gal., water 120,000 gal., drilling mud 1,100 barrels. The boat will carry up to 410 It of cargo on its 90 x 32-ft. aft deck. It will also have space for up to 16 passengers. The vessels are being constructed at R&S Fabricators in

Lockport, La.

Spirit Energy 76, Unocal's U.S. Lower 48 exploration and production unit, is the appar- ent high bidder, solely or with partners, for interests in 62 Gulf of Mexico deepwater and 15 shelf blocks in the OCS Lease Sale No. 171 con- ducted by the U.S. Minerals Management

Service (MMS). The company exposed a net total of $216 million, with apparent high bids amounting to $185 million. Total industry high bids in the sale are estimated by the MMS at $553 million. The sale increased Spirit's deep- water portfolio by nearly 50 percent to a total of 188 blocks.

Prior to the sale, Spirit Energy 76 had a deepwater portfolio of 126 blocks. The company recorded its second deepwater discovery in July at prospect Leo and is currently participating in the drilling of three other deepwater wells.

Oceandril, Inc., a Texas company manag- ing offshore drilling rigs and mobile offshore production platforms, will manage and operate

Noram-owned jackups Nor am 252 and Nor am 253. Noram 252 is a Baker Marine 250 mat can- tilever rig presently being outfitted for workover service in Singapore. Noram 253 recently arrived in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico fol- lowing a dry tow from Salvador, Brazil and is undergoing mat repairs and ABS inspection work at Newpark Shipyard in Galveston. The rig will be available for work October 1, 1998.

By Willard Marine Inc.

The U.S.A.'s Leading Builder Of Rigid Inflatable Boats

Alabama Shipyard, Inc. has reached an agreement with Edison Chouest Offshore, LLC of Galliano, La. to build three OSVs with an option for an additional vessel. Principal dimensions will be 240 x 56 x 21 ft. deep.

Construction has begun and delivery of the first vessel is expected in December, with the remaining vessels to follow on a monthly basis.

SCHILLER INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, 101 Eaton St, Suite 300

Hampton, VA 23669

Telephone (757) 727-0700, Fax (757) 727-0993

Drillship Discoverer

Enterprise, owned by

Transocean Offshore, Inc., of

Houston, arrived at Ingalls

Shipbuilding division of

Litton Industries, to begin outfitting. Ingalls signed a contract in June, worth approximately $3.6 million, to load and integrate the final

We go to extraordinary lengths to build high quality RIBs you can count on for fast rescue, law enforcement, t? survey, diving, tour and tough work-place applications.

For more information, contact:

WILLARD MARIIME, INC. 1250 N. Grove Street, Anaheim, CA 92806

Phone: 714-666-2150 • Fax: 714-632-8136

E-Mail: [email protected] Established 1956

Solas 540 O.B

Circle 356 on Reader Service Card 26 Circle 287 on Reader Service Card Maritime Reporter/Engineering News