23 November 2007. With an order book of 108 GenSets accumulating a total of 776 MW for 17 drill-ships, MAN Diesels medium-speed 32/40 engine design has today obtained a noteworthy foothold in the specialized drill-ship market.
Houston, US-based Transocean Inc. sets the pace with six drill-ships ordered and under construction, each to be powered by six generating sets based on the 14V32/40 engine. A total of 36 generating sets.
Large specialized deepwater drill-ships are flourishing these days, with oil prices at record levels, and soaring charter rates, all fuel the requirement for these types of vessels. On the drill-ship new building side, South Korean shipyards like Daewoo, Samsung and Hyundai have more or less obtained a monopoly situation for such technical complex and capital-intensive vessels.
In this particular market, MAN Diesel’s South Korean license builder STX Engine Co. has received orders for 108 generating sets for various drill-ship newbuildings. “With this large amount of GenSets ordered, MAN Diesel through their licensee, STX, have now achieved a leading market share, says Steve Birdsall, Vice President of MAN Diesels Offshore, Propulsion and Gensets Business Unit. “With an estimated construction period of about 30 months for these vessels – contracted to operations for major oil companies like Chevron, Hydro and BP – we are talking long horizons and long-term business relations for any new equipment or capacity introduced to this sector”.
Transocean Inc. is the world's largest offshore drilling contractor with a fleet of 90 mobile offshore drilling units. The company's mobile offshore drilling fleet, consisting of a large number of high-specification deepwater and harsh environment drilling units, is considered one of the most modern and versatile in the world due to its emphasis on technically demanding segments of the offshore drilling business. They presently have placed orders with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. in Okpo, South Korea, for a total of six new dynamically positioned,
double-hull drill-ships.
Transocean’s new class of drill-ships called ‘Discoverer Clear Leader design’ will have the most advanced drilling capabilities in the offshore drilling industry, building on Transocean's successful ‘Enterprise-class’ drill-ship design and the company's industry-leading position in the ownership and operation of high-specification mobile offshore drilling units. The new ships meet the future emands for high operational efficiency and reliability in ultra-deepwater operations at up to 12,000 ft / 3,660 m, and drilling-depth capabilities up to 40,000 ft / 12,200 m. The ships will incorporate Transocean's patented dual-activity drilling technology, allowing for parallel drilling operations thus saving time and money compared with conventional rigs in deepwater service.
According to Transocean, the most complex technical challenge accommodated with the ships involves the new complete power supply system. Transocean is working in partnership with Siemens in the development of a new revolutionary electrical-distribution system, which will provide enough power under all conditions to every area of the ship. This system will significantly help in reducing the risk of power losses or ‘black outs’ during operations, and the design will provide greater power availability compared with conventional redundant systems.
On top of being the chosen engine designer and primary power supplier for the pioneering Transocean organisation, Steve Birdsall is also proud of the MAN Diesel powered drill-ship orders recently landed by Cardiff Marine Inc., Greece. Cardiff Marine is an ambitious dry cargo and tanker operator - and a newcomer in the offshore drilling sector. “Cardiff Marine has ordered two drill-ships from Samsung to be delivered for operation during 4th quarter 2010 and 1st quarter 2011. In terms of power, these ships will accommodate an even more powerful installation with 48 MW from 6 x 16V32/40 generating sets specified for each ship”, says Steve Birdsall.
About Transocean Inc.
Transocean is the world's largest offshore drilling contractor, and provides the most versatile fleet of 90 mobile offshore drilling units to help clients find and develop oil and natural gas reserves. Building on more than 50 years of experience with the highest specification rigs, and approximately 12,500 employees focused on safety and premier offshore drilling performance. The company's mobile offshore drilling fleet, consisting of a large number of high-specification deepwater and harsh environment drilling units, is considered one of the most modern and versatile in the world due to its emphasis on technically demanding segments of the offshore drilling business. Transocean’s fleet consists of 34 high-specification floaters (SemiSubmersibles and drill-ships), 19 other floaters, 25 Jackup rigs and other assets utilized in the support of offshore drilling activities worldwide.
Captions:
1) Graphic impression of Transocean’s new ‘Discoverer Clear Leader’ drillship design
2) GenSet package: Workshop roll-out of a MAN Diesel 16V32/40