Page 64: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 1999)

GULF COAST REPORT

New Generation Drillship Goes to Work

Conoco and R&B Falcon Corp. announced Deepwater Pathfinder - a first-of-its-kind, ultra-deepwater drill- ship - began a five-year work program in the Gulf of Mexico.

The ship, the first new build capable of drilling in 10,000 ft. of water, will fulfill a $400 million drilling program for

Conoco. The vessel is expected to drill three or four wells in its first year of operation, with the first exploratory well being drilled at Garden Banks Block 783. Conoco has interests in 295 deep- water leases in the Gulf.

The technological highlight of the ship is its dynamic positioning systems, wherein a specialized combination of seabed and satellite systems send sig- nals to onboard computers. Six high- powered thrusters counter the force of currents, wind and waves to keep the vessel exactly on target without an anchor, even in weather conditions as severe as a ten-year Gulf of Mexico

C \ & n / "The Mediterranean

OFFSHORE MEDITERRANEAN CONFERENCE

RAVENNA

March24-26,1999 Focus of the future world energy scene. ii

Scrl ibilion Organizer • Via Paolo di Dono. 3/a 00143 Roma - Italy

Tel.439-06 5982.5895 Fax +39-06 5982.4795 http://www.omc.it E-mail: [email protected]

Conference Organizer - Via Trieste, 230 48100 Ravenna - Italy

TeU39-0544 518014 Fax+39-0544 518015 http://www.omc.lt E-mail: [email protected] 64 Circle 243 on Reader Service Card storm. Furthermore, Deepwater

Pathfinder is the only drillship world- wide incorporating triple-redundant power and operating functions, which qualify for the ABS' DP3 classification - the shipping society's highest standard of safety, redundancy and reliability for dynamically positioned vessels.

Deepwater Pathfinder has numerous innovative features that combine to make it a new generation of drillships.

No other ultra-deepwater drillship designed to date meets such stringent standards for safety, redundancy and reliability.

In one of the first applications of its kind, the vessel features computerized rig floor operations, with conventional manual backup capabilities. This automation virtually eliminates the human element from operating much of the traditional drilling equipment, there- by reducing the risk of injury and increasing efficiency.

Conoco and R&B Falcon are building a second deepwater drillship with the same specifications, expected to be delivered in early 1999 - about two months ahead of schedule. It will oper- ate on Conoco's deepwater tracts in other parts of the world, such as the

Atlantic Margin, Norway, New Zealand and Nigeria. Conoco holds more than 35 million acres of deepwater leases throughout the world.

Conoco will contract the second ship for 2.5 years out of the first five years of its operation, with renewal options.

Schlumberger Completes First

Coiled Tubing Horizontal Well

Schlumberger Oilfield Services suc- cessfully drilled and completed the first horizontal well in the Gulf of Mexico with CoilDRILL coiled drilling technol- ogy. Working in conjunction with the

Spirit Energy 76 drilling team,

Schlumberger Integrated Project

Management (IPM) designed, drilled and completed the well.

An exit window was milled through two strings of pipe, 1,390 ft. of 4.75 in. open hole was drilled with 750 ft. of this hole above 80 degrees.

The well was then completed by con- veying a horizontal completion assem- bly consisting of sand control screens, an inflatable packer for zonal isolation, and Dowell's QUANTUM gravel pack- er open hole isolation assembly on coiled tubing to 8,100 ft.

Halter Begins Construction Of

Three Second Generation

Hvide SDM

Halter Marine, Inc. has begun con- struction of three second generation

Maritime Reporter/Engineering News