Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in Ulsan, South Korea, the 123mtr long by 78mtrs wide rig is owned by the Houston-based drilling contractor Diamond Offshore.
The new MOSS CS60E design is suitable for operations in harsh environments and will be tested thus, chartered to oil major BP for a contract in the Great Australian Bight.
Ocean Greatwhite is also the first new-build rig to receive the DNV GL Integrated Software Dependent Systems (ISDS) notation. ISDS are systems whose performance is dependent on the overall behaviour of their integrated software components.
The certification ensures that software and integration issues are identified and resolved early on during the project design stages. It also represents a new approach to verification, DNV GL claims, emphasising a review of the working methods and processes that lead to the delivery of the systems, rather than focusing on the final review of documents and installations to ensure they meet product requirements.
Industry data suggests that high specification mobile offshore drilling units may experience 30% down-time during their first years of operations, which makes a systematic framework for ensuring that ISDS achieve the required reliability, availability, maintainability and safety essential.
“Ocean Greatwhite is capable of operating in depths of up to 3000 metres and can drill down to a depth of 10,670 metres. It represents the state of the art in the semi-submersible sector and we are very pleased to have been asked to contribute our expertise to this project,” says Paal Johansen, vp and regional director, Americas at DNV GL.
DNV GL’s ISDS teams in Korea, Norway, and the USA all contributed to the project. DNV GL also provided advisory services to HHI on the integration of the various systems throughout the newbuilding process.
“We expect that the operational performance of Ocean Greatwhite will demonstrate how the ISDS notation can contribute to increasing the reliability of the complex systems onboard,” adds Paal Johansen.
Youngseuk Han, senior executive vp at HHI hailed the new build, saying: “We will keep moving the boundaries of technology by completing following large-scale and innovative projects.”
Diamond Offshore provides contract drilling services to the energy industry around the globe with a total fleet of 30 offshore drilling rigs, including one under construction. Diamond Offshore's fleet consists of 21 semisubmersibles, of which one harsh environment semi is under construction, four dynamically positioned drillships, and five jack-ups.
