Page 36: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Nov/Dec 2023)

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FEATURE GREEN DRILLING RIGS hen asked about what spurred Huisman cided to design ”the greenest rig possible.” The rig design to come up with the design, Dieter re- is currently targeted for eventual deployment in the wider minds that this is not the frst time the North Sea region.

W company is designing an offshore rig that “Currently, we see that for Western Europe gas from the produces less emissions compared to conventional peers. North Sea is the cleanest fossil fuel which is out there. And “In the past, we have built also what they call the green- we also see that the current rigs o Tecgut there emit around est drillships in the world, the Noble Globetrotter I and 45,000 to 50,000 tons of CO2 per year, and I think we can

II,” which, he says, emit only 45% of the emissions of a do something serious about that, that has to be lower. So typical drillship. that's why we started this whole path for the green Harsh

The two drillships, built in 2012 and 2013 respective- Environment Rig.” ly, and owned by Noble Corp., are still active. They are operating for Shell in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and have 40% FEWER PEOPLE ON BOARD recently secured contract extensions with the oil major. As mentioned before, Huisman promised a 40% reduc-

Globetrotter I secured a dayrate of $390,000, with Globe- tion in onboard personnel with the new rig design.

trotter II securing $398,500 dayrate. How does one achieve this?

Back to Huisman’s green semi-sub design, Wijning frst Wijning explains: “Well, frst of all, the drill foor is explains where Huisman, which builds equipment for completely unmanned. So, for example, stand building both oil and gas, and offshore wind, stands when it comes and pipe handling on the deck as well is done completely to the future energy mix. robotic and fully hands off. “We actually fully acknowledge that we have to go to “Tubulars will arrive on the rig in boxes and no person- renewable energy, but we also know that this will take for nel will touch these tubulars from arrival up to running a long, long time. So, we see that fossil fuels will be part of into the hole itself. Therefore, you have much less people the energy mix for quite some time to go.” on the drill foor and on the pipe deck.”

But he also says that Huisman has a ‘rock solid belief’ According to Wijning, the rig will have a central operat- that “we have to produce and consume these fossil fuels in ing room where personnel can control the complete rig the greenest way possible, and this is why the company de- with fewer people.

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