Singapore's Jurong Shipyard Firms Contract to Build Q7000 Well Intervention Rig for Helix

Helix ESG’s Q4000, (c) Helix ESG

Sembcorp Marine on Thursday said it has secured a $346 million contract to build a second semisubmersible well intervention rig for Helix Energy Solutions Group at the companies Jurong Shipyard in Singapore.

Scheduled for delivery in mid-2016, the semi-submersible light well intervention rig -named Q7000 by Helix- will be built based on a design jointly developed by Sembcorp Marine Technology (SMTP), a fully-owned Research & Development subsidiary of Sembcorp Marine, and Helix.

The Q7000 is an upgraded and larger version of Helix’s Q4000, which was thrust into the global spotlight during the 2010 Macondo Well blowout (aka BP Oil Spill) in the Gulf of Mexico. The Q4000 was the primary well intervention vessel used, and after the well was finally killed, the Q4000 raised the enormous Blow Out Preventer (BOP) to the surface with her 600T Multi Purpose Tower.

Helix first announced plans to build the Q7000 in July with few details.

The Q7000 will feature the latest well intervention technology with capabilities to perform a wide variety of tasks, including conventional and extended top hole drilling, subsea construction, decommissioning well intervention, coiled tubing operations and twin ROV deployment.

The Dynamic Positioning (DP) class 3 unit has the ability to operate in deepwater operations worldwide.

William Gu, General Manager of Offshore Division said “We are honoured that Helix has chosen to build their second semi-submersible well intervention rig with us. This repeat order is significant as it testifies as to their trust and confidence in our design and building capabilities in rigs with well intervention and subsea capabilities that are customised to meet this new growth segment of the market. We are committed to build on our partnership with Helix and to meet their stringent standards of quality, safety and reliability.”

Owen Kratz, Helix’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said “We are pleased to work with our trusted partner Jurong Shipyard on this second unit of the semisubmersible well intervention rig, to be named Q7000.”