Keppel’s KOMtech and ConocoPhillips to design ice-worthy jack-up for Arctic

Keppel Offshore & Marine Technology Center (KOMtech) and ConocoPhillips are jointly designing a first-of-its-kind ice-worthy jack-up rig to operate in one of the harshest marine frontiers, the Arctic Seas.

This jack-up rig will have dual cantilevers to optimize drilling operations within a limited time window. The rig is to be capable of operating in a self-sustained manner for 14 days and will have a hull that is designed for towing in ice. It is to be able to resist the impacts from multi-year ice floes and ridges as well as withstand a certain level of ice thickness.

The joint design project is expected to be completed by end 2013.

Dr Foo Kok Seng, Center Director, KOMtech ,said: “We are glad to partner with ConocoPhillips to jointly design this ice-worthy jackup rig for the Arctic Seas. The features of this jack-up rig make it a cost-effective and promising drilling solution for the Arctic Offshore. In leveraging the combined expertise, resources and research findings of Keppel O&M and ConocoPhillips, we believe that this joint project will achieve significant breakthroughs in offshore Arctic drilling.”

Keppel O&M’s track record in designing and building rigs for harsh environments includes three KFELS N Class rigs for work in the North Sea. These jack-ups can operate in harsh weather conditions in water depths ranging from 400-500 ft — 40 percent deeper than traditional units in benign waters.

In 2008, Keppel O&M’s Keppel Singmarine shipyard broke into the Arctic market by successfully delivered the first pair of icebreakers built in the tropics of Asia to LUKOIL-Kaliningradmorneft.

February 7, 2012