Keppel FELS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M), has recently delivered KFELS B Class jackup — Halul — to Qatar’s Gulf Drilling International (GDI)
It was completed ahead of schedule, on budget and with a perfect safety record, the company sources said.
Halul is the fifth KFELS B Class jackup delivered to GDI and GDI has renewed the options for two more repeat KFELS B Class rigs for deliveries in 2018 and 2019.
Built to GDI’s requirements, the jackup has been designed to operate in the higher ambient temperature of the Middle East. The KFELS B Class is equipped with larger spud cans for reduced bearing pressure and expands its operational coverage in more places, especially in sea beds where soft soil is predominant. The rig can drill wells through 9,144 metres with a cantilever that can skid out 21.3 metres from the edge of the hull to drill wells. It features offline stand building capabilities and 527.3 kg per sq m mud pumps, with accommodation for 150 persons. Besides newbuild rigs, Nakilat-Keppel O&M, Keppel’s joint venture shipyard in Qatar, recently completed a self-propelled and self-elevating liftboat for GDI.
Wong Kok Seng, managing director of Keppel O&M (Offshore) and Keppel FELS, said, “We are proud to deliver another rig to GDI early and safely. This is our first delivery of the year and we are proud that even in a low oil price environment, the KFELS B Class continues to be the preferred rig in the market for its high quality, efficiency and safety.
“While there is widespread industry cautiousness, the strong relationships we have built with our long-standing customers, such as GDI, enables us to work together to deliver projects in a win-win fashion.”
Halul’s sister rigs Dukhan (300’ ILC) and Al Zubarah (300’ ILC) are operating successfully for Qatar Petroleum while Al Khor (300’ ILC) is performing well for Shell in the Gulf country.
Mubarak A. Al-Hajri, CEO of GDI, added, “We are pleased to receive the Halul ahead of schedule, enabling us to start work earlier for Qatar Petroleum. Reliability, safety, efficiency and quality are our top priorities in choosing a rig and a shipyard. Keppel FELS and the KFELS B Class design have demonstrated their strengths in these areas repeatedly. That is why we have chosen to renew our options for two more rigs with them. We are confident in the long term fundamentals of the industry and when the market recovers, we will be well-equipped to meet the demand.”
