Singapore-based Keppel has demonstrated a ‘Can Do’ attitude with a new deepwater drillship design that it is to start constructing on spec, driven by the industry’s requirements not only for exploration drilling but also development and completion work.

Keppel FELS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), said that following “positive feedback and strong enquiries from the market”, it is proceeding with the building of its new CAN DO drillship without having yet secured a customer. With a completion date set for 2016, the drillship is planned to be a state-of-the-art deepwater exploration, development and completion drilling vessel. It is to go head-to-head with competing designs from its SE Asian rivals such as DSME, Hyundai and Samsung.

Chow Yew Yuen, Chief Operating Officer and CEO-Designate, Keppel O&M, said the new drillship design was developed in close consultation with customers, major oil companies and vendors. Keppel says the design is also capable of handling next generation 20K psi blowout preventers.

“While most modern drillships currently in operation were designed and built for exploration drilling, industry feedback has revealed the need for vessels capable of performing development and completion drilling in addition to exploration drilling. Since the launch of our design earlier this year, we have received very encouraging response from the market, and we have decided to start constructing the first drillship to this design. We believe the drillship meets the high functionality, safety and cost-effective requirements of the industry,” said Yuen.

Jointly developed by Keppel Offshore & Marine Technology Centre (KOMtech), the R&D arm of Keppel O&M, and its design partner GustoMSC, the CAN DO drillship is designed to overcome the constraints of limited deck space found in most modern drillships, said the company.

Aside from incorporating exploration drilling requirements, Keppel says the design allows for the installation of third party equipment often required for development and completion drilling through the incorporation of a large functional deck space. In addition, the drillship has a double blowout preventer stack integrated into the design, and has a riser hold capacity for up to 3,658 m (12,000 ft) water depth, with the flexibility of storing either 23 m (75 ft) or 27 m (90 ft) long risers.

The drillship design has been model tested at the MARIN facility in the Netherlands, and has also obtained class approval for the basic design. A full 3D model has been created for construction purposes.

Keppel added a further announcement would be made once a firm contract had been secured for the drillship.

Offshore