Present

  • In November 1955, the first electromechanical, three-legged offshore s e l f - e l e v a t i n g drilling platform was launched from what was then R.G. LeTourneau's manufacturing facility on the Mississippi River south of Vicksburg.

    Christened Scorpion by its owner, Zapata Offshore Company, this self-elevating offshore drilling platform was designed to operate in 80 feet of water.

    That first-generation mobile offshore jackup rig was a giant step in the evolution of the offshore oil and gas industry. Earlier "mobile" offshore drilling platforms were often inland barges and drilling tenders, limited to the marshes and relatively safe shallow c o a s t a l w a t e r s of the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Maracaibo.

    Although the triangularleg Scorpion's 80-foot operating depth is far less than the 300- to 350-foot capabilities of today's jackups, from another perspective it was a remarkable technological breakthrough. Scorpion's operating depth was twice that of its predecessors.

    The decade f r om the mid-fifties to mid-sixties saw a remarkable spurt of inventiveness in design and manufacturing t e c h n o l o gy for jackup rigs. Like most technological revolutions, the rapid and successful development of the jackup was tied directly to economic conditions. Vast amounts of offshore oil and gas were known to exist. These energy reserves were in demand and return on investment in offshore exploration and production was attractive.

    What had been missing was an economical, mobile, sturdy offshore d r i l l i n g p l a t f o r m from which experienced drilling contractors could exploit known offshore reserves. That piece of equipment had to be a true openwater vessel that could be safely towed to a drilling site, position itself securely, get the job done, then move on to the next location.

    Once those initial engineering and fabrication challenges were overcome, the trend in jackup design took the direction of expanding water depth, drilling depth and operating environment capabilities.

    This trend continues to dominate jackup technology today.

    The improvements that have taken place in jackup capability have historically been stimulated by the need to find and produce a d d i t i o n a l offshore energy reserves.

    Important desigri changes that increased operating water depths came d u r i n g t h e midsixties.

    A unit was developed t h a t could operate in 250 feet of water. This j a c k u p had slanted legs. This change was based on two factors: first, the types of steel then readily available could not withstand the calculated combined loads when the spud legs were in a vertical configuration; second, the slanted legs increased the rig's overturning moment without requiring a larger and heavier hull.

    These first slant leg jackups extended operating water depths by 100 feet. Later models of the slant leg self-elevating drilling platform could operate in over 300 feet of water.

    By the early seventies, the use of higher strength steels made it possible to build jackups with vertical legs that could operate in water depths up to 350 feet.

    Looking at the history of the offshore energy industry from our present perspective, it is accurate to say that the jackup is the success story of that industry.

    It provides the offshore drilling contractor with the essential advantage of a stable, fixed area from which to work. Once a jackup is on location, it also provides important time and cost advantages over floating drilling equipment.

    Of the several types of deepwater mobile offshore drilling units in use, jackups have proven they can drill more foot of hole per dollar spent.

    Statistics bear out the jackup's dominant role in offshore operations.

    At the start of 1981, there were 549 mobile offshore drilling rigs of all types. Of that total, 270 were jackups. Of the 204 mobile rigs on order or under construction at the start of the year, 152 were jackups. Jackups make up more than half of the total mobile offshore rig fleet. By the end of the eighties, the total number of jackups may well be 600.

    The current state-of-the-art in jackup design and manufacture c o n s i s t s of building versatile units that meet the wide variety of drilling contractor requirements while at the same time satisfying the guidelines of regulatory agencies. Offshore exploration and development drilling now takes place in a number of areas that have a variety of meteorological and other environmental characteristics. There are jackups specifically designed for remote, deeper water areas where weather conditions such as frequency of storms, excessive wind and wave heights must be taken into account. A totally different class of self-elevating platform is specifically designed for accessible areas where weather, water depth or remoteness from supply sources are not major obstacles.

    Between these two extremes of offshore operating environments are a number of other situations that call for jackups with different operating capabilities.

    In addition to providing units tailored for specific environments, the rig construction industry took a major step toward meeting operator requirements with the introduction of the cantilever drilling jackup. This feature is now found on shallow water, moderate environment units as well as on large, deepwater units that can withstand wave heights up to 88 feet.

    The incorporation of cantilever drilling into the jackup design concept added a remarkable degree of versatility. In rough waters, jackups provide a stable base so t h a t the cantilevered drilling package can remain extended and drilling operations continued.

    In addition, the cantilever lets the s e l f - e l e v a t i n g offshore drilling platform p e r f o r m p r o d u c t i on drilling and well servicing functions in addition to exploratory drilling. In those areas where there are a number of bottomsupported production platforms, a cantilever jackup can take up position next to such a permanent structure, cantilever its drilling package over the structure without placing any weight on the platform, and carry out whatever drilling and well servicing activities are called for. When working on very large production platforms, it is feasible to move the drilling structure onto the permanent platform and use the mobile platform as a tender. The cantilever jackup has thus become a valuable and economic tool for extending the productive lives of older offshore wells.

    In deeper waters, where there are fixed platforms that provide for multiple wells, cantilever jackups can drill exploratory or development wells in rough weather conditions that previously would have shut down drilling operations.

    They can do this without exerting dead or static loads normally brought to bear on sea floor units by package drilling units resting entirely on the fixed platform.

    This capability is extremely important in exploiting offshore oil and gas fields that previously had been judged as economically marginal. In such fields, the estimated recoverable reserves were not great enough to j u s t i fy large permanent, and costly, bottomsupported platforms from which to drill, complete and service multiple wells.

    Such a situation offers a glimpse of what the future may hold for jackup rig application. For example, a North Sea operator plans to cut development costs of the Morecambe Bay offshore gas field by approximately $240 million.

    Key elements in this plan are the use of jackup drilling platforms, a derrick package designed for slant drilling and a number of minimal fixed platforms.

    These bottom-supported, fixed platforms will be strategically placed so as to permit depletion of as much of the field's reserves as possible. These platforms will be smaller, less expensive and quicker to construct than if conventional drilling techniques were used from large fixed drilling platforms.

    The Morecambe Bay development plan calls for the self-elevating drilling platforms to be positioned alongside each of the minimal platforms. The drilling packages with slant drilling capabilities will then be skidded onto or cantilevered over the fixed platforms. Flexible control and drilling fluids lines will extend from the mobile platform to the drilling floor. With the mobile platform serving as tender, the jackup can move from fixed platform to fixed platform drilling and completing development wells to bring the field on stream and generate early cash flow.

    Another innovative use of jackup drilling rigs presently under c o n s i d e r a t i o n is a mobile, retrievable early production system.

    Such a system would be made up of a sea-floor concrete and steel storage unit, the jackup with a portable drilling template, and sea-floor as well as surface controls. The mobile p l a t f o rm would carry the drilling and production hardware.

    Again, worldwide energy supply and demand factors will play a key role in the acceptance of such a system. This kind of retrievable, "reusable" system may well meet offshore requirements for lower total investment in early development of marginal fields. The system could be used to develop fields estimated at less than 500,000 barrels per day of crude production over a productive life of less than 10 years.

    More immediately, a definite trend in jackup design is toward increasing not only the operating water depth but also the jackup's capacity to store consumable items such as fuel, cement, pipe, drilling mud, potable and nonpotable water, etc. Three criteria, namely operating water depth, drilling depth, and variable load capacity are directly related to environments in which the new "super" jackups will be operating.

    This new generation of super jackups includes a massive unit that can operate under those extremely hostile c o n d i t i o n s of weather, water depth and remoteness which presently constitute the major frontiers of offshore operations. This "hostile environment" jackup can not only operate in these regions but can be safely towed from location to location under sea conditions that previously would have prohibited relocation. Such conditions exist in the North Sea, off the coasts of southern Africa and eastern Asia, both coasts of North and South America, and the Bering Sea. On location wave heights up to 88 feet combined with wind speeds of 100 knots were some of the factors that had to be accounted for in designing such a rig.

    An important factor in the development of a jackup with these capabilities has been the effective use of higher strength steels to keep hull weight to a minimum and at the same time provide maximum strength.

    The newest member of the jackup family is a unit specifically designed for those offshore areas where conditions are labeled "harsh" rather than "hostile." This unit's strong suit is its greater capacity to store more consumable items necessary for offshore drilling at greater distances from supply bases. This capability is a necessity because in most harsh offshore areas, frequent scheduled re-supply of consumables is impractical and unpredictable.

    Speculation about the f u t u r e of any facet of offshore operations is risky. As for f u r t h e r development of the self-elevating offshore drilling platform, there will p r o b a b l y not be any radical changes in the basic jackup design in the near future. However, the proven and tested elements of this design will probably be f u r t h e r refined under the stimulus of worldwide demand for oil and gas. As a result, we may see operating water depths reach beyond the 300-400 foot maximums of the present. Storm rat- New York Office: JOTUN-Baltimore Copper Paint 74 Trinity Place/Suite 402 New York, N.Y 10006 (212)962-6500 Telex 8-7549 ings may increase and new techniques may permit the jackup to go on and off location in greater wave heights than permissible today.

    Any of these developments are contingent on a number of economic and geopolitical factors.

    One certainty is that the established jackup rig builders have demonstrated the expertise and capacity to build units that will go anywhere drilling contractors search for offshore oil and gas.

  • Forum, cosponsored by The Society of Marine Port Engineers New York, N.Y., Inc. and the State University of New York Maritime College, was "Fuels — Present and Future." The day-long meeting was held recently on the SUNY Maritime College campus at Fort Schuyler, Bronx, N.Y. Co-chairmen of this year's

  • meeting- of the New England Section of The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers was held in Newton, Mass., where two student papers were presented. The first, titled Practical Considerations for Selection of High-Speed Marine Diesel Engines, was presented by John F. Duclos, a recent graduate of

  • The New England Section of The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers recently met at Valles Steak House in Newton, Mass., to hear the presentation of two excellent student papers. Forty-five members gathered for the occasion. Following cocktails and dinner, the technical meeting was

  • The Marine Committee of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers Gas Turbine Division is presenting a program at the Gas Turbine Conference in Zurich between March 30 and April 4, 1974. This program consists of 13 interesting and timely papers as well as a Forum on Marine Gas Turbines. The marine

  • boom turned to bust from 2007 to 2009, with decreasing M&A deal flow and overall reduced company valuations. The red numbers on the graph in Figure 1 represent the average multiple of operating earnings, or EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) for each year. The EBITDA multiple

  • be proud. This is our annual United States Coast Guard edition, and it could best be dubbed the “Christmas Carol” edition as we examine USCG Past, USCG Present and USCG Future. First looking back (but not too far back), and in step with our continued celebration of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News’ 75th

  • Virtually every shipping company today uses noon reports to understand and monitor what is happening on their ships. These reports are traditionally sent by the Captain every day, based on data gathered manually by the crew. The content and format of the report is usually pre-agreed by the company and sent

  • MarineNews recently visited the Blount Boats facility in Warren, Rhode Island. While the year 2019 might be the ‘year of the woman’ in the eyes of the International Maritime Organization, the two women at the head of Blount Boats – Marcia & Julie Blount– have been a driving force in the U.S. boatbuilding

  • shipyard can construct vessels up to 400 feet in length, drydock vessels up to 4,000 tons and perform topside repairs on ships as long as 800 feet. At present, Atlantic Marine is building three 200-foot casino-dinner boats for the Steam Development Corporation of Davenport, Iowa. Delivery of the vessels

  • of Naval Engineers (ASNE) recognizes outstanding members of the naval engineering community through its annual awards program. These awards will be presented at the Society's annual meeting in Washington, D.C., the first week of May, which will mark ASNE's centennial celebration. Each year consideration

  • Group is one of the largest integrated operators in port and maritime logistics in Brazil. The company has more than a century of experience and is also present in shipbuilding and offshore support services. Its towage fleet is present in ports all along Brazil’s lengthy coast. In Rio, the group has a number

  • MR Aug-24#74  the BWM trial period.  they present real  ?  nancial and)
    August 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 74

    are considerable now that we are at issues are far from petty annoyances; T water discharge, including the end-game in the BWM trial period. they present real ? nancial and opera- speci? c harmful microbes. We should Purchasing a BWMS use to be an af- tional risks. Thus, if you are having dif- remember

  • MR Aug-24#35  or more on the same fuel, present to 
Changzhou, China)
    August 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 35

    hun- Augsburg, Germany; in Copenhagen, Frederikshavn and- Holeby, Denmark; Saint-Nazaire, France; Aurangabad, India; dred years or more on the same fuel, present to Changzhou, China; and in Busan, South Korea. Almost all of you and your team? The ? rst obvious challenge is to make sure that we allocate these

  • MR Aug-24#15  in the industry. The ever-present brain-drain.
No other)
    August 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 15

    replacement workforce with the knowledge to continue com- being passed on to them. This is the brain-drain conundrum! peting in the industry. The ever-present brain-drain. No other workforce in the construction industry is affected This brain-drain is, simply put, an Aging Workforce with no more by this

  • MR Aug-24#12  a dramatic historical moment  present immigration concerns)
    August 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 12

    in the at 2008, the year of the Great Crash. to grow at a very steady pace. (Yes, the more recent 27 years. That was a dramatic historical moment present immigration concerns are not a 2008 is where things become inter- of great economic upheaval, but, from population growth issue.), but the GDP 12

  • MN Aug-24#30  ?  eet. 
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    August 2024 - Marine News page: 30

    , might begin to re- deepsea vessels. The oft-cited statistics are worth verse the continued ebb in the U.S. international ? eet. repeating: at the present time, 180 oceangoing ves- For vessels set for domestic employment, the U.S. ship- S sels currently operating in worldwide trades are ? ying the

  • MN Aug-24#12  the marine market. lenges as present in your part of the industry)
    August 2024 - Marine News page: 12

    and the real strong interest in lowering emis- marine engineering look like? Are these chal- sions in the marine market. lenges as present in your part of the industry? I think the evolution of those markets are going to take MF: There’s absolutely a challenge with attracting top tal- a

  • MR Jun-24#40  and Case 2. These ?  gures represent a simpli?  ed two-
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    June 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 40

    . This is best explained by comparing the images in ergy ef? ciency as well as reducing system weight and costs, Case 1 and Case 2. These ? gures represent a simpli? ed two- but also for passenger comfort and safety. Harmful pathogens dimensional space with a ventilation inlet in the lower right such

  • MR Jun-24#11 .
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    June 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 11

    interior lighting, heating and cooling. Society, www.seahistory.org . Maybe they can provide this concept a little push. Almost incredibly, in their present RO/RO guise, I cannot think of a better facility for displaying the hardware associ- ated with intermodal cargo movement. The Author On some of the

  • MR Jun-24#9  the Ex-Malcolm McLean, the 
present Capella, and turn it)
    June 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 9

    do. Land had selected 35 foot containers that could not ? t within the cellular We get to take one of them, and I propose the Ex-Malcolm McLean, the present Capella, and turn it into the container history museum. I think it is historically and physically an excellent vessel to turn into a museum vessel

  • MR Jun-24#5   featured multiple presentations on the 
Mark O’Malley)
    June 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 5

    seat of global shipping. One particular confer- Corporate Staff for 30+ years, I am always loathe to call any Manager, Marketing ence featured multiple presentations on the Mark O’Malley conversation, story or topic a ‘favorite’, and momalley@marinelink latest technologies to enable the emission I won’t

  • MT May-24#8  ?  re pre-
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    May 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 8

    of ves- networks. While these advancements enhance ef? ciency and sel safety and operational resilience, similarly to ? re pre- safety, they also present opportunities for malicious actors to vention or anti-piracy measures. This requires a multifaceted exploit vulnerabilities. approach encompassing

  • MN Jun-24#29  of Defense term   which presents “Guidelines for Human-Supervi)
    June 2024 - Marine News page: 29

    stands for “maritime autonomous surface ship.” On April 30, the USCG updated Policy Letter 22-01, • NOMARS is a U.S. Department of Defense term which presents “Guidelines for Human-Supervised Test- for “no manning required ship.” ing of Remote Controlled and Autonomous Systems On Vessels,” ? rst released

  • MR May-24#54  an  international adversaries present growing dangers to freedom)
    May 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 54

    and Gray Zone Engagement By Dr. Joe DiRenzo and Dr. Don Brutzman or 15 years the Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS), an international adversaries present growing dangers to freedom annual three-day event, has brought together govern- of navigation, the maritime global commons, and world trade. ment

  • MR May-24#22  these options both present several challenges  ter)
    May 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 22

    DEEP SEA MINING Although these options both present several challenges ter ? ight or sailing distance, then equipment, provisions and and issues, the wet transfer method is generally seen as un- crew transfers may be best accomplished from the shore acceptable and operators are aligning on using dry

  • MR May-24#14  submerged in water. When present  However, in recent years)
    May 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 14

    of microorganisms, plants, algae, or by abrasive in water cleaning methods administered by divers. small animals on surfaces submerged in water. When present However, in recent years, a new wave of proactive solu- on the surface of ship hulls, this growth can create drag, which tions using robotics has

  • MT Mar-24#33  nodules 
with visible life present.
A second-generation)
    March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 33

    battery-oper- ated buoyancy engine, fast-acting robot- ic arms and the AI algorithms that guide them, identifying and avoiding nodules with visible life present. A second-generation collector, Eureka II, is currently being tested off the US east coast. It has three arms, but the Images courtesy of GSR much

  • MT Mar-24#30  like Shell, BP and Ken- to be present and alive 12 months after)
    March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 30

    tested successfully in the iary of The Metals Company, found that organisms continue 1970s by major Western corporations like Shell, BP and Ken- to be present and alive 12 months after having been in? uenced SMD developed the mining machinery planned for the Solwari 1 sul? des project. Image courtesy

  • MN Apr-24#27 , Bordelon cited the yard’s present government-
In another)
    April 2024 - Marine News page: 27

    moonpool sharp. . . It is a more competitive market.” In describing its and accommodations for 102 personnel. portfolio, Bordelon cited the yard’s present government- In another project for Hornbeck, the yard is undertaking heavy newbuilds posture, saying, “We like more complex the conversion of a

  • MN Apr-24#21  navigation and safety may present opera-
tional restrictions)
    April 2024 - Marine News page: 21

    an airspace ? oor of 1,000 feet above sea level and the Air Force asked BOEM to keep structures below that panies that vessel navigation and safety may present opera- tional restrictions, that “portions of the lease areas may not height. BOEM advises that prospective wind energy com- panies will need an

  • MR Feb-24#31  
quantity of sea water present in the lubricant. The)
    February 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 31

    . Dif- ture and additives. The most important factor, however, is the ferent operating conditions mean different loading conditions quantity of sea water present in the lubricant. The 1% limit is on different parts of the aft stern tube bearing. “The weight ENDLESS SUPPLY OF MARINE HARDWARE ! &"$)$?""?!!&"$l •

  • MR Feb-24#22  in-
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    February 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 22

    from Wabtec. By Greg Trauthwein Matt, to start us off, can you provide insight on Wabtec is huge, pervasive in power across in- the journey to your present position? dustries, but not broadly known globally in the I graduated from the University of Notre Dame with an maritime sector. Please give a ‘By

  • MN Feb-24#42  has ap-
In addition to his present and con- pointed Cindy)
    February 2024 - Marine News page: 42

    of Corpus Names tang’s parent company. Bertolami CFO Daniels Wiltshire Uz Named MD at elkon The Port of Corpus Christi has ap- In addition to his present and con- pointed Cindy Bertolami as its new tinuing role as managing director of CFO. Bertolami succeeds Kent Britton, SCHOTTEL Turkey, Seçkin

  • MT Jan-24#4 , and we’re pleased to present a pair of topical articles)
    January 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 4

    and the need for maintenance. As we all know, the military is a big and Manager, Marketing primary driver for these technologies, and we’re pleased to present a pair of topical articles Mark O’Malley [email protected] in this edition: ? rst, David Strachan’s look at the rise drone wars and of Combat

  • MR Jan-24#35 , it is largely unregulated at present. The IMO is  by 6,000)
    January 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 35

    water has long been an area of concern, as unlike for a system capable of processing all wastewater generated black water, it is largely unregulated at present. The IMO is by 6,000 individuals. The Scanship system handles black wa- looking at greater regulation with its current review of MAR- ter, gray water