Huge semisubmersible starts journey to Gulf of Mexico

FEBRUARY 16, 2013—The world’s largest semisubmersible offshore platform hull, the Jack/St. Malo, was recently loaded onto the Dockwise Vanguard at Samsung Heavy Industries in Geoje, South Korea for transport to Kiewit yard, Ingelside, TX.

The semi-submersible offshore platform Jack/St. Malo will be used in the joint development of the Jack/St. Malo fields in deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The fields are located 40 km apart. Chevron owns 50% of the Jack Field and Maersk and Statoil 25% each. Chevron owns 51% of the St. Malo Field, while Petrobras owns 25%, Statoil 21.5%, ExxonMobil 1.25% and ENI, 1.25%. Production capacity will be 170,000 barrels of oil per day and 42.5 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. Start up is expected next year.

The trip is the maiden voyage for the Dockwise Vanguard, the world’s largest semisubmersible heavy-lift transport vessel, which will sail around the Cape of Good Hope and arrive in Ingelside in mid-April.

With a loading capacity of 110,000 tons and a length of 275 meters—that’s slightly longer than three American football fields—the Dockwise Vanguard has been designed to enable operators and contractors consider opportunities for mega offshore units which were until now considered unthinkable. The Jack/St. Malo, for example, is 56,000 tons.

The Dockwise Vanguard can also be used for offshore dry docking.