DOHA: Gulf Drilling International (GDI) has installed and put into service for Qatar Petroleum a new off-shore jack-up drilling rig 'Dukhan', the subsidiary of Gulf International Services (GIS) said Monday.
'Dukhan' is the ninth offshore jack-up rig in GDI's fleet. It is the third jack-up rig under five-year contract to QP following 'Al Doha' and 'Al Zubarah'.
GDI took delivery of the rig from Keppel Fells Shipyard in Singapore last August and had it dry towed to Qatar last month.
While undergoing final commissioning and testing in Nakilat-Keppel Offshore and Marine (N-KOM) Shipyard, various third party equipment was installed and drill pipe loaded onto the rig to achieve QP's final acceptance, GDI said.
GDI Chief Executive Officer Ibrahim J. Al Othman said, "I am pleased to see this rig sail out safely to its first well location in Qatar ahead of schedule.
This marks the fifth state of the art cyber rig of GDI's fleet. It will serve to further enhance our operational capabilities while lowering the average age of our rigs.
The inspection and acceptance process went very smoothly, allowing drilling services to commence early than expected."
The customized meet's QP's requirements and is capable of performing drilling operations anywhere in Qatar.
It has a 75' cantilever outreach, 150 man accommodation, high volume centrifuges, high capacity for bulk mud treatment, and the capability of drilling wells up to 30,000ft depth, said Qatar's largest oilfield services company. (QNA)
