OTC 21498--Integrated Design Based 6th Generation Deepwater Drillships – Design Engineering, Construction, Commissioning System Integration Testing and Sea Trials

摘要

Drilling operations in the deepwater plays of the world typically require a 5th or 6th generation Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU). The 6th generation deepwater drillships based on integrated design are entering service in 2011. Functional specifications have been incorporated into a newbuild drillship of an integrated class with improved capabilities, making operations more efficient and cost effective compared to non-integrated drillships. The advantages of the design include reduction of capital expenditure, vessel dimensions, dynamic positioning power requirements and environmental footprint. Presented here is the effort encompassing design, construction, commissioning and sea trials of a deepwater drillship, initiated in the 1990s and resulting – by the time of writing this paper – in a total of seven ships of this class.