Saipem’s new drillship Saipem 12000 is undergoing sea trials offshore Angola prior to starting operations for Total. The vessel was delivered recently by fabricator Samsung Heavy Industries.
Also on Saipem’s books, Drydocks World Graha Shipyard (Indonesia) is putting the final touches to the new Perro Negro 8 jackup. Post-completion later this month, the rig will be transported to the Mediterranean for sea trials ahead of a program for Eni in October.
Due to a fire in June in one of the aft columns of the Scarabeo 8, the rig will now be delivered towards year-end. Following transport to Norway and sea trials, it should start its first assignment in spring 2011.
Elsewhere, Saipem expects Yantai CIMC Raffles Shipyard to conclude mechanical completion this month on the Scarabeo 9. However, owing to a heavy vessel workload at the yard, discussions are under way which could lead to the rig being switched to an alternative yard to complete its commissioning. Either way, the rig should still be ready to begin operations at end-March 2011.
Saipem’s new multi-purpose construction vessel FDS2 definitely will be completed next spring. The schedule for the new pipelay vessel CastorOne, however, may have to be stretched beyond 3Q 2011.
Following handover, in both cases, Saipem plans a comprehensive range of operational tests on these “highly sophisticated prototypical vessels”, lasting three months for the FDS2 and six months for the CastorOne. Saipem’s aims are to ensure that all systems function safely and efficiently, and to help the crews become familiar with the vessels’ capabilities.
As for market prospects, the company expects offshore drilling programs in the second half of this year to be impacted by the Macondo incident in the Gulf of Mexico.
Offshore construction, it adds, remains relatively weak, although there are strong levels of activity in project pre-sanctioning work, which bodes well for prospects next year.
Source : Offshoremag
