Transocean
Encyclopedia
Offshore drilling
Offshore drilling refers to a mechanical process where a wellbore is drilled through the seabed. It is typically carried out in order to explore for and subsequently produce hydrocarbons which lie in rock formations beneath the seabed...
contractors. The company rents floating mobile drill rigs, along with the equipment and personnel for operations, to oil and gas companies at an average daily rate of US$282,700 (2010). Transocean's day rates extend as high as US$650,000 for its deep-water drillship
Drillship
A drillship is a maritime vessel that has been fitted with drilling apparatus. It is most often used for exploratory offshore drilling of new oil or gas wells in deep water or for scientific drilling. The drillship can also be used as a platform to carry out well maintenance or completion work such...
s, which house dual activity derrick
Derrick
A derrick is a lifting device composed of one tower, or guyed mast such as a pole which is hinged freely at the bottom. It is controlled by lines powered by some means such as man-hauling or motors, so that the pole can move in all four directions. A line runs up it and over its top with a hook on...
s and can drill in ultra-deep ocean depths of 10000 ft (3,048 m). Recently, Transocean has been implicated in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
resulting from the explosion of one of its oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
.
Transocean employs more than 25,000 people worldwide and has a fleet of 139 offshore drilling units and three ultra-deepwater units under construction, as of April 2010. The company is based in Vernier, Switzerland
Vernier, Switzerland
Vernier is a municipality in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It is divided into different sections: Vernier Village, Le Lignon, Aïre, Les Avanchets, Cointrin and Châtelaine.-Tourist Information and History:...
, near Geneva, and has offices in 20 countries, including Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Malaysia. The firm owns nearly half of the 50 or so deepwater platforms in the world.
History
Transocean traces its roots back to 1953, when the BirminghamBirmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
-based Southern Natural Gas Company
Sonat
Sonat, Inc., headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, was a large Fortune 500 American energy holding company. The company was founded in 1928 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "SNT". Sonat was primarily involved in transmission and marketing natural gas and oil and...
created The Offshore Company after acquiring the joint drilling operation DeLong-McDermott from DeLong Engineering and J. Ray McDermott
J. Ray McDermott
McDermott International is an international engineering company specialized on marine solutions with operations in the Americas, Middle East, the Caspian Sea, and the Pacific Rim...
. In 1954 the company launched the first Jackup rig
Jackup rig
A jack-up rig is a type of mobile platform that is able to stand still on the sea floor, resting on a number of supporting legs. The most popular designs use 3 independent legs, although some jackups have 4 legs or more...
in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1967 the company went public. In 1978 SNG turned it into a wholly owned subsidiary. In 1982 it was changed to Sonat Offshore Drilling Inc., reflecting a change in its parent's name. In 1993, Sonat spun it off.
In 1996, the company acquired Norwegian group Transocean ASA for US$1.5 billion. Transocean started in the 1970s as a whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
company and expanded through a series of mergers. The new company was called Transocean Offshore. The new company began building massive drilling operations with drills capable of going to 10,000 feet (as opposed to 3,000 feet at the time) and operating two drill operations on the same ship. Its first ship, Discoverer Enterprise, cost nearly US$430 million and was 834 ft (254.2 m). The Enterprise class
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
drillship
Drillship
A drillship is a maritime vessel that has been fitted with drilling apparatus. It is most often used for exploratory offshore drilling of new oil or gas wells in deep water or for scientific drilling. The drillship can also be used as a platform to carry out well maintenance or completion work such...
is the largest of the drilling ships.
In 1999, Schlumberger
Schlumberger
Schlumberger Limited is the world's largest oilfield services company. Schlumberger employs over 110,000 people of more than 140 nationalities working in approximately 80 countries...
proposed a merger of equals with Schlumberger's offshore subsidiary Sedco Forex. The deal was valued at US$3.2 billion. The new company was renamed Transocean Sedco Forex. (The name was simplified to Transocean in 2003.) Sedco Forex had been formed from a merger of two drilling companies, the Southeast Drilling Company (Sedco), founded in 1947 by Bill Clements
Bill Clements
William Perry "Bill" Clements, Jr. was the 42nd and 44th Governor of Texas, serving from 1979 to 1983 and 1987 to 1991. Clements was the first Republican to have served as governor of the U.S. state of Texas since Reconstruction...
and acquired by Schlumberger in 1985 for $1 billion, and French drilling company Forages et Exploitations Pétrolières (Forex) founded in 1942 in German occupied France for drilling in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. Schlumberger first got a foothold in the company in 1959 and then assumed total control in 1964 and renamed it Forex Neptune Drilling Company. The spun-off Houston-based Transocean was part of the S&P 500
S&P 500
The S&P 500 is a free-float capitalization-weighted index published since 1957 of the prices of 500 large-cap common stocks actively traded in the United States. The stocks included in the S&P 500 are those of large publicly held companies that trade on either of the two largest American stock...
.
In 2000, Transocean acquired R&B Falcon in a deal valued at $17.7 billion. With the acquisition, Transocean gained control of what at the time was the world's largest offshore operation. Among R&B Falcon's assets was the Deepwater Horizon
Deepwater Horizon
Deepwater Horizon was an ultra-deepwater, dynamically positioned, semi-submersible offshore oil drilling rig owned by Transocean. Built in 2001 in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the rig was commissioned by R&B Falcon, which later became part of Transocean, registered in Majuro, Marshall...
. R&B Falcon was formed in 1997 from the merger of Reading and Bates Exploration, which had been founded in 1970 and headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, and Falcon Drilling, which had been founded in 1988 by Steven A. Webster with a $300,000 investment and headquartered in Houston.
In 2005, Discoverer Spirit set a world record for the deepest offshore oil and gas well of 34189 ft (10,420.8 m).
In 2007, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a case against Transocean, alleging violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 is a United States federal law known primarily for two of its main provisions, one that addresses accounting transparency requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and another concerning bribery of foreign officials.- Provisions and scope...
. The case alleged that Transocean paid bribes through its freight forwarding agents to Nigerian customs officials. Transocean later admitted to approving the bribes and agreed to pay USD $13,440,000 to settle the matter.
On July 23, 2007, Transocean announced a merger with GlobalSantaFe Corporation
GlobalSantaFe Corporation
GlobalSantaFe Corporation, which traded on the NYSE as GSF was an offshore oil and gas drilling contractor, which owned or operating a fleet of 59 marine drilling rigs...
for US$17 billion. The merger was completed on November 27, 2007. At the time, the two companies were the world's two largest offshore rig operators. As part of the move, Robert E. Rose, who was non-executive chairman of GlobalSantaFe, was made Transocean's chairman. Rose had been chairman of Global Marine prior to its 2001 merger with Santa Fe International Corporation.
In 2008, Transocean was replaced on the S&P by Equitable Resources
Equitable Resources
EQT Corporation is a Pittsburgh, United States-based, integrated energy company, supplying natural gas, crude oil, and gas-related services to wholesale and retail customers...
after the company announced plans to move its headquarters to Switzerland, making it ineligible to be in the S&P
Standard & Poor's
Standard & Poor's is a United States-based financial services company. It is a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies that publishes financial research and analysis on stocks and bonds. It is well known for its stock-market indices, the US-based S&P 500, the Australian S&P/ASX 200, the Canadian...
index.
In October 2008, the company board approved the move to Switzerland.
On December 9, 2008, the shareholders approved the move to Switzerland.
On December 19, 2008, the company completed the process of changing its place of incorporation from the Cayman Islands to Switzerland. Transocean's top management was scheduled to move to Switzerland from Houston.
In September 2009, its Deepwater Horizon rig established a 35050 ft (10,683.2 m) well, the deepest well in history—more than 5,000 feet deeper than its stated design specification.
Over the years, Transocean has moved its incorporation location to take advantage of lower taxes in some jurisdictions. Transocean was originally incorporated in the US state of Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, but moved its corporate registration to the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
in 1999. In 2008, it moved its registration to the canton of Zug
Canton of Zug
The Canton of Zug is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland. It is located in central Switzerland and its capital is Zug. With 239 km² the canton is one of the smallest of the cantons in terms of area. It is not subdivided into districts.- History :The earlier history of the canton is...
, Switzerland, where it is currently incorporated. Only 12 of its employees work in the Zug office, according to a company spokesperson. The registration move allowed Transocean to lower its corporate income tax rate from 35 percent in the US, to 16 percent in Zug.
August 2011: Transocean Announces $2.23 Billion Takeover Of Aker Drilling, 15th of August 2011.
Aiming to supplement its drilling fleet in the harsh arctic environment, U.S. drilling giant Transocean Ltd (RIG) plans to acquire Norwegian drilling rig operator Aker Drilling ASA (AKD.OS) at a 62% premium to current valuation in a deal valued at $2.23 billion.
Under the transaction, Transocean, which owned the rig at the center of last year's catastrophic U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil spill, has made a voluntary NOK26.50 ($4.83) per share cash offer for all outstanding shares in the company.
Transocean Leader accident
On March 2, 2002, a Scottish man was killed in an accident aboard the drilling rig Transocean Leader operated for BPBP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
, located about 86 miles west of Shetland, Scotland.
Galveston Bay explosion
On June 17, 2003, one worker was killed, four others were hospitalized, and 21 were evacuated after an explosion on a Transocean gas drilling rig in Galveston Bay, Texas.Transocean Rather
On August 24, 2005, the UK Health and Safety Executive issued a notice to Transocean saying that it had failed to maintain its “remote blow Out preventor control panel … in an efficient state, efficient working order and in good repair.” On November 21, 2005, Transocean was found to be in compliance for this matter.Bourbon Dolphin/Transocean Rather accident
On April 12, 2007, the Bourbon DolphinBourbon Dolphin
Bourbon Dolphin was an anchor handling tug supply vessel of Bourbon Offshore Norway. On April 12, 2007, the ship capsized off the coast of Shetland, and sank three days later while preparations were being made to tow her to shore.- History :...
supply boat sank off the coast of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
while servicing the Transocean Rather drilling rig, killing eight people. The Norwegian Ministry of Justice established a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the incident, and the commission’s report found a series of "unfortunate circumstances" led to the accident “with many of them linked to Bourbon Offshore and Transocean.”
2008 fatalities
In 2008, two Transocean workers were reportedly killed on the company's vessels.Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion
On April 21, 2010, a fire was reported on a Transocean-owned semisubmersible drilling rigOil platform
An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...
, Deepwater Horizon
Deepwater Horizon
Deepwater Horizon was an ultra-deepwater, dynamically positioned, semi-submersible offshore oil drilling rig owned by Transocean. Built in 2001 in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the rig was commissioned by R&B Falcon, which later became part of Transocean, registered in Majuro, Marshall...
, made by Hyundai Heavy Industries
Hyundai Heavy Industries
Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. is the world's largest shipbuilding company, headquartered in Ulsan, South Korea. The company is a subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group...
in Ulsan
Ulsan
Ulsan , officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh largest metropolis with a population of over 1.1 million. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring Busan to the south and facing Gyeongju to the north and the Sea of Japan to the east.Ulsan is the...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. Deepwater Horizon was a Reading & Bates Falcon RBS8D design, a firm that was acquired by Transocean in 2001. The fire broke out at 10:00 p.m. CDT UTC-5 in US waters of Mississippi Canyon 252 in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. The rig was 41 mi (66 km) off the Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
coast. The US Coast Guard launched a rescue operation after the explosion which killed 11 workers and critically injured seven of the 126 member crew. Deepwater Horizon was completely destroyed, and subsequently sank.
As the Deepwater Horizon sank, the riser pipe that connected the well-head to the rig was severed and as a result oil began to spill into the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. Estimates of the leak were in the range of 5,000 to 19,000 barrels per day.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
declared a state of emergency on April 29, as the oil slick grew and headed toward the most important and most sensitive wetlands in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, threatening to destroy wildlife and the livelihood of thousands of fishermen. The head of BP Group told CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Brian Todd on April 28 that the accident could have been prevented and focused blame on Transocean, which owned and partly manned the rig.
Transocean has also come under fire from lawyers representing the fishing and tourism businesses that were hit by the oil spill and the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
for seeking to use an Limitation of Liability Act of 1851
Limitation of Liability Act of 1851
In United States maritime law, the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851 historically , or since Feb. 1, 2010 states that the owner of a vessel may limit damage claims to the value of the vessel at the end of the voyage plus "pending freight," as long as the owner can prove it lacked knowledge of...
to restrict its liability for economic damages to $26.7 million.
During Congressional testimony, Transocean and BP blamed each other for the disaster. It emerged that a "heated argument" broke out on the platform 11 hours before the accident, in which Transocean and BP personnel disagreed on an engineering decision related to the closing of the well. On May 14, 2010, U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
commented, “I did not appreciate what I considered to be a ridiculous spectacle… executives of BP and Transocean and Halliburton [the firm responsible for cementing the well] falling over each other to point the finger of blame at somebody else. The American people could not have been impressed with that display, and I certainly wasn't."
Transocean later claimed that 2010, the year in which the disaster occurred, was "the best year in safety performance in our company’s history." In a regulatory filing, Transocean said, "Notwithstanding the tragic loss of life in the Gulf of Mexico, we achieved an exemplary statistical safety record as measured by our total recordable incident rate and total potential severity rate." They used this justification to award employees about two-thirds of the maximum possible safety bonuses. In response to broad criticism, including from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
Ken Salazar
Kenneth Lee "Ken" Salazar is the current United States Secretary of the Interior, in the administration of President Barack Obama. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United States Senator from Colorado from 2005 to 2009. He and Mel Martinez were the first Hispanic U.S...
, the company announced that its executives would donate the safety portion of the bonuses to a fund supporting the victims' families.
NOVEMBER 2011
Offshore drill-leak off the Brasilian coast. Name of Offshore facility: "Frade".
The Frade field is located 370km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro in the Northern Campos Basin, Brazil. The heavy oil and gas field lies at a water depth of 1,128m and is estimated to contain 200m-300m barrels of recoverable oil.
The field is operated by Chevron, which has a 51.74% interest. Other partners include Petrobras, with 30%, and Frade Japá o Petròleo, with 18.26%. The partners invested approximately $3bn in developing the field.
First production was in June 2009. In September 2010, production reached 65,000bpd. Peak output of 90,000 barrels of crude oil and natural gas liquids a day is expected in 2011. The field will be operational until 2025.
Oil leaking from seabed in a depth of approx. 1100 to 1200m. Damage (so far): Oil floating on ocean surface covering an area of approx. 80 km2 and growing. Distance to Rio de Janeiro = approx. 370 km. but other beautiful beaches are much closer (estimated 140 km).
Quote from the Chevron-website:
"For years after its discovery in 1986, the Frade deepwater field offshore Brazil was considered too technically risky to develop. The field holds medium-heavy oil in shallow reservoirs requiring long horizontal wells. Today, Chevron and its partners have overcome the challenges and are advancing the multibillion-dollar development toward first oil in 2009. By 2011, Frade is expected to reach peak production of 90,000 oil-equivalent barrels per day."
http://www.chevron.com/annualreport/2008/deliveringenergy/developenergyforthefuture/frade/
Industry reputation
Transocean was rated as a leader in its industry for many years. However, since the company's merger with GlobalSantaFe in 2007, Transocean's reputation has suffered considerably, according to Energy Point Research, an independent oil service industry rating firm. From 2004 to 2007, Transocean was the leader or near the top among deep-water drillers in "job quality" and "overall satisfaction." In 2008 and 2009, surveys ranked Transocean as last among deep-water drillers for "job quality" and as next to last in "overall satisfaction." In 2008 and 2009, Transocean ranked first for in-house safety and environmental policies, and in the middle of the pack for perceived environmental and safety record. The Deepwater Horizon explosion and massive oil spill starting in April 2010, has further hurt its reputation. “Transocean is dominant, but the accident has definitely tarnished its reputation for worker safety and for being able to manage and deliver on extraordinarily complex deepwater projects,” said Christopher Ruppel, an energy expert and managing director of capital markets at Execution Noble, an investment bank.Fleet/rigs
According to Transocean's fleet report, as of April 30, 2010 the company has 25 ultra deepwater rigs, plus three under construction, 16 deepwater rigs, five harsh environment, 25 midwater floaters, 10 high specification jackups, 55 jackups, two swamp barges and one other.Ultra deep water
Ultra deepwater rigs are the largest and deepest rigs drilling 2300 metres (7,545.9 ft) and greater. Enterprise class ships are named after Discoverer EnterpriseDiscoverer Enterprise
Discoverer Enterprise is a fifth generation deepwater double hulled dynamically positioned drillship owned and operated by Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc., capable of operating in moderate environments and water depths up to 3,049 m using an , 15,000 psi blowout preventer ,...
, the first of the large drill ships, and operate in the lower reaches of the Bathyal zone
Bathyal zone
The bathyal zone or bathypelagic – from Greek βαθύς , deep – is that part of the pelagic zone that extends from a depth of 1000 to 4000 metres below the ocean surface. It lies between the mesopelagic above, and the abyssopelagic below. The average temperature hovers at about 39°F...
. All of the craft possess Dynamic positioning
Dynamic positioning
Dynamic positioning is a computer controlled system to automatically maintain a vessel's position and heading by using its own propellers and thrusters...
capabilities.
| Name | Type | Entered service | Water depth | Drilling depth | Location | Customer | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cajun Express | semi Semi-submersible A semi-submersible is a specialised marine vessel with good stability and seakeeping characteristics. The semi-submersible vessel design is commonly used in a number of specific offshore roles such as for offshore drilling rigs, safety vessels, oil production platforms and heavy lift cranes.The... |
2001 | 8500 ft (2,590.8 m) | 35000 ft (10,668 m) | Brazil | Petrobras Petrobras Petróleo Brasileiro or Petrobras is a semi-public Brazilian multinational energy corporation headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest company in Latin America by market capitalization and revenue, and the largest company headquartered in the Southern Hemisphere by market... |
|
| Deepwater Champion | ship Drillship A drillship is a maritime vessel that has been fitted with drilling apparatus. It is most often used for exploratory offshore drilling of new oil or gas wells in deep water or for scientific drilling. The drillship can also be used as a platform to carry out well maintenance or completion work such... |
2011 | 12000 ft (3,657.6 m) | 40000 ft (12,192 m) | Black Sea Black Sea The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean... |
ExxonMobil ExxonMobil Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas... |
|
| Deepwater Discovery Deepwater Discovery Deepwater Discovery is a Samsung/Reading & Bates designed, fifth generation, deepwater dynamic positioning Vanuatu-flagged drillship owned and operated by Transocean... |
ship | 2000 | 10000 ft (3,048 m) | 30000 ft (9,144 m) | Brazil | Devon Devon Energy Devon Energy Corporation , is among the largest U.S.-based independent natural gas and oil producers. Based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the company's operations are focused on North American onshore exploration and production... |
|
| Deepwater Expedition | ship | 1999 | 10000 ft (3,048 m) | 30000 ft (9,144 m) | Malaysia | Petronas Petronas PETRONAS, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company that was founded on August 17, 1974. Wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and... /BHP |
|
| Deepwater Frontier | ship | 1999 | 10000 ft (3,048 m) | 30000 ft (9,144 m) | India | Reliance Reliance Petroleum Reliance Petroleum Limited was set up by Reliance Industries Limited , one of India's largest private sector companies based in Mumbai. Currently, RPL is subsidiary of RIL, and has interests in the downstream oil business... |
|
| Deepwater Horizon Deepwater Horizon Deepwater Horizon was an ultra-deepwater, dynamically positioned, semi-submersible offshore oil drilling rig owned by Transocean. Built in 2001 in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the rig was commissioned by R&B Falcon, which later became part of Transocean, registered in Majuro, Marshall... |
semi | 2001 | 10000 ft (3,048 m) | 30000 ft (9,144 m) | Gulf of Mexico | BP BP BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"... |
Destroyed April 2010 |
| Deepwater Millennium Deepwater Millennium Deepwater Millennium is a fifth generation Samsung/Reading & Bates designed, dynamic positioned Marshall Islands-flagged drillship owned by Transocean... |
ship | 1999 | 10000 ft (3,048 m) | 30000 ft (9,144 m) | Brazil | Anadarko Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Anadarko Petroleum Corporation is one of the world’s largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies, with approximately 2.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent of proved reserves and production of 206 million BOE as of December 31, 2008. Anadarko employs a worldwide... |
|
| Deepwater Nautilus Deepwater Nautilus Deepwater Nautilus is an ultra-deepwater, semi-submersible offshore drilling rig. Built in 2000 in South Korea, she is owned by Transocean, registered in Panama, and leased to Royal Dutch Shell for drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico until December 2011.-Description:Deepwater Nautilus is a... |
semi | 2000 | 8000 ft (2,438.4 m) | 30000 ft (9,144 m) | Gulf of Mexico | Shell Royal Dutch Shell Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six... |
|
| Deepwater Pathfinder | ship | 1998 | 10000 ft (3,048 m) | 30000 ft (9,144 m) | Gulf of Mexico | Eni Eni Eni S.p.A. is an Italian multinational oil and gas company, present in 70 countries, and currently Italy's largest industrial company with a market capitalization of 87.7 billion euros , as of July 24, 2008... |
|
| Development Driller III Development Driller III Development Driller III is a fifth generation, Vanuatu-flagged dynamic positioning semi-submersible ultra-deepwater drilling rig owned by Transocean and operated under lease agreements by various petroleum exploration and production companies worldwide... |
semi | 2009 | 7500 ft (2,286 m) | 37500 ft (11,430 m) | Gulf of Mexico | BP | Drilling relief well and Deepwater Horizon Deepwater Horizon Deepwater Horizon was an ultra-deepwater, dynamically positioned, semi-submersible offshore oil drilling rig owned by Transocean. Built in 2001 in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the rig was commissioned by R&B Falcon, which later became part of Transocean, registered in Majuro, Marshall... cleanup |
| Dhirubhai Deepwater KG1 | ship | 2009 | 12000 ft (3,657.6 m) | 35000 ft (10,668 m) | India | Reliance | |
| Dhirubhai Deepwater KG2 | ship | 2010 | 12000 ft (3,657.6 m) | 35000 ft (10,668 m) | India | Reliance | |
| Discoverer Americas | ship | 2009 | 12000 ft (3,657.6 m) | 40000 ft (12,192 m) | Gulf of Mexico | Statoil Statoil Statoil ASA is a Norwegian petroleum company established in 1972. It merged with Norsk Hydro in 2007 and was known as StatoilHydro until 2009, when the name was changed back to Statoil ASA. The brand Statoil was retained as a chain of fuel stations owned by StatoilHydro... |
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| Discoverer Clear Leader Discoverer Clear Leader Discoverer Clear Leader is a double hulled dynamically positioned drillship , capable of operating in moderate environments and water depths up to 12,000 feet using an , 15,000 psi blowout preventer , and a outside diameter marine riser... |
ship | 2009 | 12000 ft (3,657.6 m) | 40000 ft (12,192 m) | Gulf of Mexico | Chevron Chevron Corporation Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,... |
Being deployed to Deepwater Horizon oil spill (target date of mid-July 2010) |
| Discoverer Deep Seas | ship | 2001 | 10000 ft (3,048 m) | 35000 ft (10,668 m) | Gulf of Mexico | Chevron | |
| Discoverer Enterprise Discoverer Enterprise Discoverer Enterprise is a fifth generation deepwater double hulled dynamically positioned drillship owned and operated by Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc., capable of operating in moderate environments and water depths up to 3,049 m using an , 15,000 psi blowout preventer ,... |
ship | 1999 | 10000 ft (3,048 m) | 35000 ft (10,668 m) | Gulf of Mexico | BP | Oil being pumped into it in the Deepwater Horizon cleanup |
| Discoverer India | ship | TBA | 10000 ft (3,048 m) | 35000 ft (10,668 m) | India | Reliance | Under construction |
| Discoverer Inspiration | ship | 2010 | 12000 ft (3,657.6 m) | 40000 ft (12,192 m) | Gulf of Mexico | Chevron | |
| Discoverer Luanda | ship | TBA | 7500 ft (2,286 m) | 40000 ft (12,192 m) | Angola | BP | Under construction |
| Discoverer Spirit | ship | 2000 | 10000 ft (3,048 m) | 35000 ft (10,668 m) | Gulf of Mexico | Anadarko | |
| GSF C.R. Luigs | ship | 2000 | 10000 ft (3,048 m) | 35000 ft (10,668 m) | Gulf of Mexico | BHP Billiton BHP Billiton BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom... |
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| GSF Development Driller I | semi | 2004 | 7500 ft (2,286 m) | 37500 ft (11,430 m) | Gulf of Mexico | BHP Billiton | |
| GSF Development Driller II GSF Development Driller II GSF Development Driller II is a fifth generation, Vanuatu-flagged dynamic positioning semi-submersible ultra-deepwater drilling rig owned and operated by Transocean... |
semi | 2004 | 7500 ft (2,286 m) | 37500 ft (11,430 m) | Gulf of Mexico | BP | Drilling relief well in the Deepwater Horizon cleanup |
| GSF Explorer | ship | 1972/1998 | 7800 ft (2,377.4 m) | 30000 ft (9,144 m) | Indonesia | Marathon-led Consortium | Formerly the U.S. Navy ship Glomar Explorer used in Project Azorian for the recovery of a Soviet nuclear submarine |
| GSF Jack Ryan | ship | 2000 | 10000 ft (3,048 m) | 35000 ft (10,668 m) | Nigeria | Total Total S.A. Total S.A. is a French multinational oil company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world.Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas exploration and production to power generation, transportation, refining, petroleum product marketing, and... |
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| Petrobras 10000 | ship | 2009 | 10000 ft (3,048 m) | 37500 ft (11,430 m) | Angola | Petrobras | |
| Sedco Energy | semi | 2001 | 7500 ft (2,286 m) | 30000 ft (9,144 m) | Nigeria | Chevron | |
| Sedco Express | semi | 2001 | 7500 ft (2,286 m) | 30000 ft (9,144 m) | Mediterranean Sea | Noble Energy Noble Energy Noble Energy, Inc. of Houston, Texas, United States is the modern name of Noble Affiliates Inc., by which it was known through the 1990s, and it is now an oil and natural gas exploration and production company with almost US$3 billion in revenue at #660 on the 2007 Fortune 1000 list of the largest... |
Deepwater
Deepwater rigs drill 1400 to 2300 m (4,593.2 to 7,545.9 ). They operate in the upper reaches of the Bathyal zoneBathyal zone
The bathyal zone or bathypelagic – from Greek βαθύς , deep – is that part of the pelagic zone that extends from a depth of 1000 to 4000 metres below the ocean surface. It lies between the mesopelagic above, and the abyssopelagic below. The average temperature hovers at about 39°F...
. About half of the craft have Dynamic positioning
Dynamic positioning
Dynamic positioning is a computer controlled system to automatically maintain a vessel's position and heading by using its own propellers and thrusters...
capabilities.
| Name | Type | Entered service | Water depth | Drilling depth | Location | Customer | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deepwater Navigator | ship | 2000 | 7200 ft (2,194.6 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | Brazil | Petrobras | |
| Discoverer 534 | ship | 1975/1991 | 7000 ft (2,133.6 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | India | Reliance | |
| Discoverer Seven Seas | ship | 1976/1997 | 7000 ft (2,133.6 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | India | ONGC | |
| GSF Celtic Sea | semi | 1982/1998 | 5750 ft (1,752.6 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | Angola | ExxonMobil | |
| Jack Bates | semi | 1986/1997 | 5400 ft (1,645.9 m) | 30000 ft (9,144 m) | Australia | Hess | |
| Jim Cunningham | semi | 1982/1995 | 4600 ft (1,402.1 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | Angola | ExxonMobil | |
| M.G. Hulme, Jr. | semi | 1983/1996 | 5000 ft (1,524 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | Libya | Gazprom | |
| Sedco 702 | semi | 1973/2007 | 6500 ft (1,981.2 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | Nigeria | Shell | |
| Sedco 706 | semi | 1976/1994/ 2008 | 6500 ft (1,981.2 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | Brazil | Chevron | |
| Sedco 707 | semi | 1976/1997 | 6500 ft (1,981.2 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | Brazil | Petrobras | |
| Sedco 709 | semi | 1977/1999 | 5000 ft (1,524 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | Malaysia | Stacked | |
| Sedco 710 | semi | 1983 | 4500 ft (1,371.6 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | Brazil | Petrobras | |
| Sovereign Explorer | semi | 1984 | 4500 ft (1,371.6 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | Brazil | Repsol | |
| Transocean Marianas | semi | 1979/1998 | 7000 ft (2,133.6 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | Gulf of Mexico | Eni | |
| Transocean Rather | semi | 1988 | 4500 ft (1,371.6 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | Angola | ExxonMobil | |
| Transocean Richardson | semi | 1988 | 5000 ft (1,524 m) | 25000 ft (7,620 m) | Angola | Chevron |
Other notable rigs
| Name | Type | Entered service | Water depth | Drilling depth | Location | Customer | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedco 135B | semi | 1965 | 50 m | 3,600 m | Shell | sank on maiden voyage from Hiroshima Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M... to Brunei Brunei Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia... with 13 casualties in 1965. |
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| Sedco 135F | semi | 1967 | 50 m | 3,600 m | Gulf of Mexico | Pemex Pemex Petróleos Mexicanos or Pemex is a Mexican state-owned petroleum company. As of 2010, with a total asset worth of $415.75 billion, it is the second non-publicly listed largest company in the world by total market value, and Latin America's second largest enterprise by annual revenue as of 2009... |
destroyed at Ixtoc I Ixtoc I Ixtoc I was an exploratory oil well being drilled by the semi-submersible drilling rig Sedco 135-F in the Bay of Campeche of the Gulf of Mexico, about northwest of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche in waters deep... in 1979. |
| GSF Rig 127 Al Shaheen oil field The Al Shaheen Oil Field is a production oil and gas field off the north east of coast of Qatar in the Persian Gulf, north of Doha. The oil field lies over the North Gas Field, the largest gas field in the world... |
jack up | 1981 | 250 ft (76.2 m) | 20000 ft (6,096 m) | Qatar (now stacked) | Maersk Oil Qatar AS | Drilled world record extended reach well Extended Reach Drilling Extended Reach Drilling is directional drilling of very long horizontal wells. The aims of ERD are:# to reach a larger area from one surface drilling location, and... of 40,320 ft (12,289 m) in May 2008—more than 20000 ft (6,096 m) deeper than its design specification |
| Transocean John Shaw Transocean John Shaw Transocean John Shaw is a semi-submersible drilling rig designed by Friede & Goldman as a self-propelled modified & enhanced pacesetter, built and delivered in 1982 by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Ltd. in Japan.... |
semi | 1982 | 549 m | 7,620 m | North Sea North Sea In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively... |
Petrofac Petrofac Petrofac is an international provider of integrated facilities services to the oil, gas and energy production and processing industries. It is registered in Jersey , with its main corporate office in Jermyn Street, London. In addition it has major offices in Aberdeen, Mumbai, and Sharjah, and a... |
External links
- Wikinvest:Transocean