Keppel to deliver drilling rig in Azerbaijan

It has been customised for the Caspian Sea's harsh environment condition.

Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd, through its subsidiary in Azerbaijan, Caspian Shipyard Company (CSC), announced that it is on track to deliver a semisubmersible drilling rig to Caspian Drilling Company Ltd, a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR).

Named as Heydar Aliyev, the rig has been customised for the Caspian Sea's harsh environment condition. It is the first modern semisubmersible to be almost completely built in Azerbaijan.

"The completion of this project adds to Keppel's strong track record of delivering customised value-added solutions to Azerbaijan. The DSSTM 38M design is a technologically advanced rig equipped with the latest safety and environmental features to operate efficiently in the Caspian Sea. We are proud that Keppel-designed rigs are a proven and preferred solution around the world," Keppel O&M CEO Chris Ong said.

Equipped with well control piping, BOP handling and foundations rated for 20,000 PSI, the DSSTM 38M will be the first shallow water semisubmersible to have the capabilities to perform drilling in expanded areas of operation in the oil fields of Azerbaijan.

It is able to work at a drilling depth of up to 40,000ft and operations in 1000m water depth. Designed to be fully moored, the rig will be able to stay in position via an 8 point wire rope mooring system which is capable of self-contained mooring up to the full range of the water depths of the Caspian Sea.