Christening Of First Semi-Submersible Built By Jurong Shipyard

GSF Development Driller I, Jurong Shipyard’s first ultra-deepwater fifth-generation newbuild semi-submersible oil rig, was christened on October 12, 2004.

One of the most technologically advanced drilling rigs in the world, the US$285 million GSF Development Driller I, is the first of two dynamic positioning ultra-deepwater drilling rigs constructed by Jurong Shipyard for GlobalSantaFe Corporation (GSF). The rig was built using the yard’s breakthrough “Load-out and Mating-in-Dock” technique, involving the simultaneous construction and the subsequent load-out and mating of the rig’s upper and lower hulls. Through this revolutionary, world’s first technique, which won the Innovation of the Year 2003 Award, Jurong Shipyard was able to accelerate the rig-building operation, as the skidding and mating process could be executed with greater precision in a safe, drydock environment.

GSF Development Driller I was christened by Lady Sponsor Ms Christina Bruton, wife of Mr Paul Bruton, GSF’s Development Driller I Operations Manager, in the presence of key personnel from GSF and Jurong Shipyard, including Mr Mike Kucharski, GSF’s Newbuild Programme Director, and Mr Wong Weng Sun, Jurong Shipyard’s Managing Director.

The semi-submersible oil rig, measuring 98.82m x 80.2m x 36m, is set to revolutionise the process of deepwater multi-well development drilling and sub-sea completion projects. Designed for maximum operational efficiency, the rig is specially engineered to provide an extremely stable and versatile work platform, with 18,000 square feet of useable deck space, 46,000 tons of operating displacement and more than 7,000 metric tons of variable deck load. Capable of working in water depths of up to and beyond 7,500 feet, the rig is optimised to meet the requirements of drilling in the challenging deepwater arena, with dynamic positioning and self-contained mooring systems, which can be supplemented with up to eight additional mooring lines for increased flexibility to withstand harsh environmental conditions.

Upon delivery, the semi-submersible rig will be on charter to BHP Billiton Petroleum (Americas) Inc. for deployment in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. It is expected to commence exploration and development work in April 2005.