Keppel AmFELS to build new semi from existing hull for Diamond Offshore
Diamond Offshore has contracted Keppel AmFELS to construct and upgrade a moored semisubmersible from the existing hull of Diamond’s cold-stacked unit Ocean Voyager. Delivery is expected in Q3 2013.
Keppel AmFELS will reconstruct the rig and install advanced equipment, such as a modern drilling package and sponsons to the pontoons to enhance rig stability in deepwater. The rig, to be named the Ocean Onyx, will be designed to operate in depths up to 6,000 ft and have a variable deck load of 5,000 long tons, a five-ram blowout preventer and capacity for 140 personnel.
“We think significant opportunity remains for new deepwater units,” Larry Dickerson, president and CEO of Diamond Offshore, said. “No new capacity targeting the standard midwater and deepwater markets is currently under construction, and this rig should be ideally suited to meet emerging demand in this segment.”
Keppel has built four similar semisubmersibles for Diamond Offshore: the Ocean Baroness, Ocean Rover, Ocean Endeavour and Ocean Monarch.
