Name: JUPITER 1

Flag: Mexico

Rig Type: semi-submersible platform

IMO No.: 8757283

Owner Name: Cotemar Company, SA de CV

Total Length: 81.5 m

Dead Weight Tonnage: 3295 T

Incident Background – April 12, 2011

MEXICO CITY -(Dow Jones)- Mexico’s state-owned oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, said Tuesday it evacuated 638 workers from a semi- submergible dormitory platform after it began to lean to one side when water entered a pontoon.

Pemex said in a statement there were no injuries as a result of the sudden inclination of the Flotel Jupiter platform housing the workers about 80 kilometers (48 miles) off the coast of Ciudad de Carmen, Campeche state.

Since the platform is used only for housing and not for production, Pemex added, the morning incident didn’t cause any leakage of hydrocarbons. “Pemex reiterates that neither production nor other activities in the area were affected,” the statement said.

The evacuated workers, Pemex said, were taken by transport ships to the Abkatun-Alfa platform. Divers were sealing the affected pontoon on the Jupiter and Pemex said it expected the platform to be stabilized shortly and moved to an inspection area.

-By Laurence Iliff, Dow Jones Newswires

Incident details provided by Pemex and translated using Google Tranlations:

According to procedures, we applied the emergency response plan installation (PSS Jupiter) and the majority of staff who was board at the time, was immediately evacuated and moved to the Abkatun-A fixture of the Southwest Marine Region of Pemex.

At the time of the incident 713 were on board, 638 or which were evacuated. 75 crew members remained
to meet the contingency.

Bilge pumps from the installation, were insufficient to ounteract the ingress of water to it, so we proceeded to
complete evacuation at 13:30.

An attempt to review the entry of water by divers, but derived from falling into the water equipment and materials available on cover were suspended platform work to care for the physical integrity divers.

After several attempts to rescue the platform, not to stabilize and given the inclination partially turned and sank at approximately 14:30. The water depth in the area is 38 meters and given the dimensions of the platform, which is 50 meters wide, remain above the level of water by 13 meters

The platform housing Jupiter is 2.075 barrels stored diesel and 82 barrels of jet fuel. The diesel is stored in tanks in the pontoons and jet fuel is in containers on deck. No evidence of leakage.

Monitoring will be maintained around Jupiter platform to detect the presence of a spill.

When addressing alternatives recovery platform and the root causes of the incident.

Rigs contracted by Pemex platforms are inspected annually for certifying companies to international standards. In
particular, the platform Jupiter, was last inspected in June 2010

More Photos:

Images via Pemex

Seadrill, through its affiliate Sea Dragon de Mexico, has settled the final agreement with Pemex for the provision of the ultra-deepwater semi-submersible drilling rig West Pegasus (previously Seadragon I). The five-year assignment in Mexico has a fixed operating dayrate for the first two years, and the dayrate will be adjusted annually thereafter based on market conditions. Estimated contract value is approximately US$850 million (excluding mobilization fee) assuming a constant dayrate over the five year term.

West Pegasus was recently delivered from the Jurong Shipyard in Singapore and proceeded for mobilization to Mexico on April 1. Commencement of operations is scheduled for the third quarter 2011.

Alf C Thorkildsen, Chief Executive Officer of Seadrill Management AS says, “This is Seadrill’s first assignment for Pemex, and it presents an exciting opportunity to develop a strong relationship with one of the largest national oil companies in the world, as well as strengthening our position in the Gulf of Mexico. This contract further underlines the value of our recent acquisition of the Seadragon units, adding significant earnings visibility at what we believe is competitive terms and conditions.”

Pictured: Seadrill’s West Pegasus courtesy Seadrill

Pemex Chief Executive Juan Jose Suarez Coppel said in a press conference in Houston that the company will open areas in the deep water Gulf of Mexico that are located close to the U.S. part of the Perdido Basin, where international oil giant Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA, RDSA.LN) operates one of the deepest and more challenging deep-water projects offshore the U.S.

Suarez said the company expects tenders for the Gulf of Mexico to attract large international oil companies that have the experience needed to operate in deep water. The fiscal terms for the blocks to be offered in the Gulf are expected to be more attractive than the ongoing tenders for mature oilfields that are incentive-based as Pemex will try to offset some the risks companies face when working in deep water, he added.

Pemex needs outside expertise to seek out and produce the more difficult deposits in the oil monopoly’s portfolio as the easy oil found in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico during the 1970s continues to decline. Pemex has significant deep-water reserves but no production in the area.

Pemex earlier this month launched its new incentive-based contracts in a bid to diversify its projects and increase crude-oil production levels.

The incentive-based contracts are designed to give outside companies greater flexibility than Pemex’s standard services contracts, which aren’t attractive for oil majors that prefer risk contracts, especially in places like the deep waters of the Gulf. Mexico’s constitution prohibits oil or gas concessions for private or foreign companies.

The first tenders under the flexible contracts will be for six mature fields in southeastern Tabasco state that are either currently producing little oil or have been abandoned altogether. Pemex expects the offer to attract relatively small companies that are specialists in squeezing more oil out of mature fields. The company will name the winners of the onshore tender in August. Companies will have a year to present their development plan and are expected to start drilling in late 2012, Suarez said.

-By Isabel Ordonez, Dow Jones Newswires

gCaptain received the above photo via our gCaptain Tip Line. Here is the official news on the incident from PEMEX;

MEXICO:  PEMEX confirmed that a fire occurred on the Kab 101 platform on Nov. 13.  The fire was caused by a spark generated during repair work to control the natural gas leak that began on Oct. 23.  No one was injured.  The fire later was extinguished in the Kab 121 well.

Meanwhile, work continues to clean the oil spilled during the original incident on Oct. 23.  An overflight revealed that the oil has traveled about 125 kilometers (78 miles).  Another overflight will take place next week to monitor the progress of the clean-up. Click to continue…

Our tipster also suggested that fatalities occurred despite PEMEX’s denial of any injuries. We have not confirmed any of the above comments and have already made one mistake related to this incident so if you have information or links this please write a comment below.

For a look at a discussion on the cause and effect of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Tragedy and read the blog post “Deepwater Horizon Explosion – Breaking News” for a real time look at the events behind a modern oil rig explosion & fire.

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Cargo Law brings us photos of the deadliest Gulf of Mexico offshore accident in the last 43 years; last week’s Collision of the Usumacinta MODU and the Kab 101 Light-Production rig. Bloomberg News tells us;

The collision of a Petroleos Mexicanos oil rig and a floating platform in a storm this week was the deadliest offshore accident in the Gulf of Mexico in 43 years, killing at least 19 workers and leaving four missing. The death toll is the second-worst in the Gulf, where Mexico produces most of its oil and the U.S. receives about 27 percent of its output. In 1964, an explosion on a C.P. Baker drilling barge killed 22, said Simon Marquis, a U.K.-based offshore rig researcher.

Continue reading the article by clicking HERE then head over to CargoLaw.com to see the Photos HERE.

Ok… looks like we fowled up this post (thanks CargoLaw ;).

The error was caught by Simon who runs the excellent and previously featured website Oil Rig Disasters.  Head over there for all our rig photo needs and we will try to stay with what we know (drillSHIPS) next time.