Keppel to deliver semi-submersible rig in Azerbaijan

Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M) announced that, through its subsidiary in Azerbaijan, Caspian Shipyard Company (CSC), it is on track to deliver a semisubmersible drilling rig to Caspian Drilling Company Ltd, a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR).

At a ceremony held in Azerbaijan, on May 18, the rig was named “Heydar Aliyev” by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. Built to Keppel FELS’ proprietary DSSTM 38M design, the rig has been customised for the Caspian Sea’s harsh environment condition. According to Keppel, it is the first modern semisubmersible to be almost completely built in Azerbaijan.

In addition, the DSSTM 38M will be the first shallow water semisubmersible to have the capabilities to perform drilling in expanded areas of operation in the oil fields of Azerbaijan. It is able to work at a drilling depth of up to 40,000ft and operations in 1000m water depth. Designed to be fully moored, the rig will be able to stay in position via an 8 point wire rope mooring system which is capable of self-contained mooring up to the full range of the water depths of the Caspian Sea.

Mr Chris Ong, CEO of Keppel O&M, said: “To meet the requirements of our customer, we were able to construct this rig almost completely in-country, a first for land-locked Azerbaijan, by leveraging the synergies of Keppel O&M’s network of yards. With the trust and partnership we have developed over the years, we look forward to supporting Azerbaijan in the long-term growth of their oil and gas industry.”

CSC undertook the fabrication, integration, testing and commissioning of the rig, while its sister yard, Baku Shipyard (a joint-venture yard between Keppel and SOCAR), fabricated the pontoons. In Singapore, Keppel FELS also fabricated the columns and bracings which were shipped to Baku through the narrow Volga Don canal.

CSC has also delivered the first jackup rig (Transocean’s Trident 20 jackup rig) and the first ice-class Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel built in-country.