Jackup rigs under construction at the Keppel FELS shipyard in Singapore. Photo courtesy Maersk
Singapore’s Keppel FELS is officially the world largest manufacturer of offshore rigs by rig delivery count, this according to the renowned Guinness World Records.
Keppel FELS, a subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd, made the announced that it has received the title of “Largest manufacturer of offshore rigs – current” by Guinness World Records for delivering 21 offshore rigs to its customers in 2013.
Guinness defines the category for the company that has delivered the most number of offshore rigs in a single calendar year. Keppel was declared winner following a thorough assessment of support documentation, which included a report by Deloitte & Touche confirming the 21 deliveries in 2013.
Wong Kok Seng, Managing Director (Offshore), Keppel O&M and Managing Director, Keppel FELS, said, “For this achievement to have been possible, all aspects of our business had to be in good order. All our departments – marketing, engineering, procurement, logistics, planning, project management, production, operations, among others – had to be fighting fit and punching above their weight.”
To win the title, Keppel had to beat out South Korean rig and shipbuilding giants such as Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Engineering.
Keppel FELS is probably best known for its newbuild jack-up rigs, and since 2004 has grown its delivery book per year from 2 to a high of 13 in 2009 before the record year in 2013.
Deliveries in 2013 included 11 KFELS B Class jackups, 4 KFELS Super B Class jackups and 4 KFELS Super A Class jackups, among other rig deliveries, according to the Keppel FELS website.