Maersk Drilling Takes Delivery First Ultra Deepwater Drillship, Maersk Viking [PHOTOS]

Maersk Drilling on Monday announced that it has taken delivery of its first ultra deepwater drillship, Maersk Viking, from Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard in South Korea.

Maersk Viking is the first in a series of four ultra deepwater drillships to enter Maersk Drilling’s fleet in 2014, representing a total investment of $2.6 billion. The vessel has already begun its voyage to the US Gulf of Mexico where it will commence a three year contract with ExxonMobil.

Featuring dual derrick and large subsea work and storage areas, the drillship design allows for efficient well construction and field development activities through offline activities. With their advanced positioning control system, the ships automatically maintain a fixed position in severe weather conditions with waves of up to 11 meters and wind speeds of up to 26 meters per second.

Special attention has been given to safety on board the drillships. Equipped with Multi Machine Control on the drill floor, the high degree of automation ensures safe operation and consistent performance. Higher transit speeds and increased capacity will reduce the overall logistics costs for oil companies.

Maersk Drilling aims to become a significant and stable contributor to the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group with a profit target (NOPAT) of $1 billion by 2018.

In addition to the three drillships and four jack-up rigs in order, the modern fleet counts 17 drilling rigs including deepwater semi-submersibles and high-end jack-up rigs. Established in 1972, Maersk Drilling employs an international staff of 3,600 people.

Maersk Viking Specifications:

Year of Construction: 2013
Class: American Bureau of Shipping
Work area: Water depths up to 3,600 m (12,000 ft)
Operating draught: 12 m (39 ft)
Transit draught: 8,5 m (28 ft)
Hull dimension: 228 m x 42 m x 19 m (748 ft x 138 ft x 62 ft)
Rated water depth: 3,600 m (12,000 ft)
Rated drilling depth: 12,000 m (40,000 ft)
Variable load: 20,000 t
Power supply: 6 x min 7,000 kW diesel generators
Propulsion: 6 x 5,500 kW azimuth thrusters
Well control equipment: 15,000 psi, 18 ¾” BOP; six cavity BOP stack
Cranes: 4 x knuckle boom cranes, 85 t SWL at 18 m (59 ft), 17 t at 42.3 m (139 ft)
Cement pump: 15,000 PSI (on free placement)
Hoisting equipment capacity: 2,500,000 lb
Drawworks: 9,000 hp
Top drive: 2 x 1,1350 hp
Mud pumps: 5 x 2,200 hp, 7,500 psi
Bulk mud capacity: 4 x 105 m³
Bulk cement capacity: 4 x 105 m³
Liquid mud capacity: Active 960 m3 (6,030 bbl) Reserve 950 m3 (5,980 bbl)
Accommodation: 230 people

Photos (c) Maersk Drilling

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