DOHA: Gulf Drilling International (GDI), a subsidiary of Gulf International Services (GIS), the largest oilfield services company in Qatar, announced yesterday that the new jack-up drilling rig ‘Dukhan’ has been accepted by its client, Qatar Petroleum, and left NKOM Shipyard at Ras Laffan en route to its first location.
“Dukhan” is the ninth offshore jack-up rig in GDI’s fleet and the third jack-up rig to be under contract to QP, joining the jack-up rigs ‘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 NKOM Shipyard, various third party equipment was installed and drill pipe loaded onto the rig to achieve QP’s final acceptance.
GDI’s CEO, 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 and 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.”
This rig has been customised to meet 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.
The Peninsula
