Jurnal Bop 6
Jurnal Bop 6
Jurnal Bop 6
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2010 Offshore Technology Conference held in Houston, Texas, USA, 3–6 May 2010.
This paper was selected for presentation by an OTC program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
reviewed by the Offshore Technology Conference and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Offshore Technology Conference, its
officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of the Offshore Technology Conference is prohibited. Permission to repro-
duce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of OTC copyright.
Abstract
In the deepwater areas, typically 5th and 6th generation drilling vessels are mobilized for operations. Driven by economic mo-
tives and based on Surface BOP systems, improved functional specifications have been incorporated into a newbuild drillship
of a reduced size, with improved capabilities and making operations more efficient and cost effective compared to traditional
MODUs. The new vessel has the characteristics in size of an earlier generation, but the functionality of the next generation
vessel. The advantages of the design including reduction of capital expenditure, vessel dimensions, dynamic positioning power
requirements, environmental footprint and rig time, and reduction in usage of drilling fluids and other consumables are illu-
strated. Presented is the design effort encompassing a compact deepwater drillship for Surface BOP operations, initiated in
2003 and leading to two ships currently under construction and scheduled for delivery in 2010.
Introduction
Currently, a number of 6th generation drillships are being added to the worldwide drillship fleet. These vessels have followed
the trend of the 5th generation, by growing into larger and larger units. In the deepwater areas, typically 5th and 6th generation
vessels are mobilized for operations: drilling and testing exploration, appraisal and development wells, running completions,
performing workover and intervention operations. The size of these vessels affects cost effectiveness. Larger vessels come at
higher initial investment (capex) and operational costs (opex), but also at a higher cost in terms of sustainability and
environmental impact. The alternative compact drillship designs aim to curb the growth of vessel dimensions and associated
cost, with a design philosophy focusing on functionality and fit for purpose design, while maintaining flexibility in operational
scenarios.
An example of a design philosophy that has led to growth of design dimensions of 5th and 6th generation rigs, is incorporation
of future early production capability. This requires crude oil storage capacity, additional topsides, and offloading systems. The
crude storage option has numerous consequences for the design, all boosting the dimensions, capex, opex and as a result the
break-even day rate. When the hull volume below the main deck is sacrificed for crude storage, it forces the drilling equipment
to be located in topside modules above the main deck. These topsides move the center of gravity of the vessel up,
compromising the stability, which in turn must be counterbalanced by an increase of the vessel width. Furthermore, the
process and drilling topsides impede efficient deck logistics, especially for handling of large tubulars. However, in the existing
fleet the storage facilities are hardly utilized, which means that most of these vessels are being operated unduly at a lower level
of cost effectiveness. Moreover, although these vessels have general capabilities built in, they still need to be adapted before
actually being suitable for crude storage. Cargo handling and inert gas systems will have to be installed, keeping the drillship
out of service for a significant period. When the design focus would have been more on the actual functionality of the rig,
substantial size and cost reductions would have been possible. The alternative design philosophy is to focus on the intended
function of the vessel, aiming at a vessel as compact as possible without compromising the operational integrity of the rig. A
typical example of this philosophy is the PRD12,000 design, which combines emerging drilling technologies such as the
application of Surface BOPs, saving weight and equipment to reduce vessel size as an effective tool against tight economic
circumstances in the current market. In this paper, the compact design approach will be presented and typical examples of the
results of this approach:
History
GustoMSC is known as a reputable designer in the offshore market, providing solutions for all kinds of offshore applications,
ranging from FPSO units, pipelay vessels, and crane vessels to drilling units, including drillships, semi-submersibles and jack-
ups, including turnkey hardware delivery of jacking systems and heavy duty offshore cranes. The GustoMSC company origi-
nates from a shipyard founded in 1862. The experience of designing and building drilling rigs started in 1960, with the jack-up
“Seashell”.
In the 1970s, the Gusto shipyard developed the very first dynamic positioning (DP) drilling vessels, the Pelican class drill-
ships. A total of 12 Pelican class units were built and delivered during the 1970s and 1980s. The most recent Pelican class DP
drillships were built in Finland. These vessels, the "Valentin Shashin", the "Mikhail Mirchink" and "Viktor Muravlenko", have
been operating successfully in the deepwater fields offshore Brazil. Currently, a total of 10 Pelican class units are still operat-
ing, being over 30 years in service. Some are now capable of drilling in 6,000 feet of water depth, after several upgrades.
The experience gained from the Pelican class designs has been used to develop a new generation of drilling vessels in the
1990s. It resulted in the Gusto 10,000 and P10,000 class series, from which the "Pride Africa", "Pride Angola" both operated
by Pride International, and the “Glomar C.R. Luigs" and "Glomar Jack Ryan", both now operated by Transocean, are derived.
Nowadays the Gusto 10,000 class is still a sophisticated design able to meet the latest challenges of the deepwater areas, in
water depths up to 10,000 feet. The first newbuild of the newest generation P10,000, the Deepwater Champion is scheduled for
delivery in 2010.
The design process of these vessels in combination with the current market requirements and latest drilling technology devel-
opments, have prompted GustoMSC to adopt a design philosophy targeting more cost effective and efficient vessels, in order
to make operations more beneficial for all parties involved.
Design Philosophy
The company’s drillship designs are products of the design philosophy that has been developed over the years, based on the
pioneering with the Pelican class ship, modernized in the Gusto 10,000 class, and matured in the P10,000 class through close
contacts with the drilling industry. The engineering experience is supplemented by operational offshore experience in the SBM
Offshore Group, consisting of the operation and construction of FPSO units, and turnkey delivery of drilling rigs. Main target
is to base the design on actual desired functionality, sizing the vessel for the intended purpose, while still being able to adapt to
new developments.
The drilling functionality and performance breakdown is shown in Fig. 1. It shows a differentiation between drilling related
and vessel related aspects, distinguished by the yellow circles for the vessel related design aspects and the green circles for the
drilling related design aspects.
Reviewing this design approach with respect to the functionality graph yields:
• The vessel characteristics are the same (yellow circles), however the drilling functionality is stretched to the maxi-
mum (green circles).
• The drilling performance is equal, however, the vessel size is decreased and efficiency increased.
The Gusto 10,000 class drillships are a good example of this approach, since the functionality of these vessels and intended
operational areas are comparable to other drilling vessels in the market. However, they are considerably smaller and therefore
more effective considering size and cost, whilst proven to be more than competitive in performance on uptime, water depth,
drilling depth, transit speed and mobilization time.
Furthermore, these designs target enhancing operability by incorporating fully retrievable thrusters in the layout of the ship.
The thrusters can be retracted above keel level to improve resistance characteristics for long distance rig moves, but they can
also be retrieved to above waterline and even up to main deck to enable maintenance and service without dry-docking. In this
way, considerable downtime is avoided. Thruster retrieving is achieved by means of the TRS – Thruster Retrieval System – a
GustoMSC developed solution, consisting of a rack and pinion system, known from the jack-up business. It is suitable for any
thruster type, or any alternative design available on the market.
OTC 20635 3
Another typical feature of the designs is a completely sheltered passageway on both portside and starboard, below the main
deck, providing a double escape route from aft to fore, fully protected from activities and situations above main deck, in the
topsides or on the drillfloor. And although smaller in size than competitor designs, due to the integration of drilling equipment
below deck, the available deck area is even larger than that of typical 5th and 6th generation units, which expands the functio-
nality envelope.
To achieve more efficiency and an even more compact vessel, new drilling technologies have been explored, which resulted in
the PRD12,000 design. The PRD12,000 was designed for drilling operations with high pressure casing riser and Surface BOP
technology, to reach ultra-deepwater up to 12,000 feet. Nonetheless, it is still suitable for conventional Subsea BOP drilling
operations, up to 5,000 feet water depth. Further enhanced versions of the PRD 12,000 have been developed increasing the
Subsea BOP drilling capability up to 8,000 feet and even 10,000 feet water depth.
Striving for a smaller vessel involves a clear vision on and confidence in the developments of the drilling and exploration mar-
ket. The choice for the smaller vessel design leads to a more efficient building process of the vessel. The construction time to
delivery can be shortened, and consequently the return on investment can be accelerated. In addition, the number of available
yards that can build smaller hulls is larger, which improves competition between yards and therefore reduces the price.
Another effect is that the total investment is reduced as a result of lower requirements on power generation and thruster
equipment to operate the vessel. Similarly, the price tag of operations will also be lowered since insurance, harbor taxes and
maintenance costs are related to the vessel size as well. The inherently smaller drillships distinguish themselves in the market
by having better sustainability. Less power installed and more efficient usage lead to lower fuel consumption (Fig. 2), and to
estimated potential savings up to USD 25,000 – 35,000 per day. Also, the impact on natural resources, energy and material for
the construction of the vessel is smaller.
An operational advantage of the decrease in size and in beam in particular, is the positive effect on the roll motion characteris-
tics of the vessel. The combination of a reduced beam and a low center of gravity results in favorable roll motion behavior.
This increases the uptime of the drillship, especially when connecting the riser to the well or when landing an X-mas tree.
This has been demonstrated to be potentially difficult with the wide beam vessels, caused by the combination of a wide beam
and an adversely located center of gravity.
4 OTC 20635
The combination of the advancement of drilling technology such as Surface BOP systems, the experience in drilling vessel
design, the market demands and the GustoMSC design philosophy, have resulted in several designs, all clear examples of fit
for purpose design, where the focus is on both functionality and operability of the vessel, optimizing performance in dimen-
sions.
A typical Surface BOP system configuration is shown in Fig. 3. Basically, the method is not new and originates from the early
days of floating drilling (IADC 2004). The existing platform and jack-up technology, with the BOP directly under the
drillfloor, was extended for application on floating vessels in deeper water. Initially these vessels were simple barges and ships
with a land rig on the deck. As water depths began to increase from a couple of tens of feet, the subsea drilling system was
developed, where the BOP is placed on a wellhead at the seabed, and a large diameter marine drilling riser extends back to the
drilling unit. This has developed into the standard method of drilling from floating drilling units.
With increasing water depths, Surface BOP techniques have re-emerged as an economically viable alternative to conventional
subsea BOP drilling systems. Applications of the technology range from the benign environments of Southeast Asia to more
demanding environments in Brazil and the Mediterranean with water depths also approaching 10,000 feet.
In a Surface BOP system, the riser joints consist of conventional wellbore casing with premium threaded connections. There
are no choke/kill lines and no auxiliary lines attached to the exterior of the riser. Casing riser joints may be recycled as well-
bore casing or disposed of, after a relatively short service life as riser components. At the top and bottom of the riser, heavy
walled sections or transition joints may be required, to obtain a favorable stress distribution in these areas. A telescopic joint is
located at the top of the riser, above the BOP, to accommodate the motions of the rig relative to the riser and to provide a con-
duit for drilling fluid returns.
Depending on the well type, the environmental conditions and local regulatory requirements, the use of a wellbore isolation
and riser disconnect device located at the seabed, a so called Seabed Isolation Device (SID), may be required. Typically the
SID consists of connectors for the wellhead and riser, and one or more ram type isolation devices. The isolation devices may
be configured to seal around pipe in the wellbore or to shear and seal on open hole. More sophisticated systems employed on
dynamically positioned drilling rigs may have two shear rams. When using a dynamically positioned drilling rig the use of an
SID is recommended (IADC 2004).
The advantages of employing a Surface BOP system instead of a Subsea BOP system are numerous (Brander et al. 2004).
They mainly arise from reduced requirements on equipment, materials and rig size, and a reduced time to drill the well.
• Less time required to run and pull the riser string due to faster handling of joints and testing of connections
• Reduced circulation time
• Less time required to test the BOP
• Less accumulation of cuttings in the riser due to more efficient hole cleaning, allowing a higher Rate of Penetration
(ROP)
• The casing riser allows for larger excursions of the vessel than a marine drilling riser system, due to larger allowable
riser angle
• The loads exerted by waves and currents on the casing riser are less than on a marine drilling riser, due to the much
smaller outer diameter of the casing riser (14 – 16 inch instead of 54 – 60 inch)
Advantages of a Surface BOP system with respect to well control include, in more detail:
• The pressure loss while circulating through the riser is much less than while circulating through the very long, smaller
diameter choke and kill lines of a Subsea BOP system
• The Surface BOP provides control of potential gas in the riser. If the BOP is on the seabed, the options are very li-
mited once a gas bubble has entered the riser, as it expands while traveling up.
• If there would be a mechanical or hydraulical problem with the BOP, there is no need to pull the riser to do repairs,
because the BOP is already at the surface. However, the riser has to be disconnected from the SID.
• Chances of hydrate formation in the well control equipment at the seabed are reduced. Also, hydrate remediation is
less complicated with a high pressure riser.
• With the Surface BOP at one end of the riser, and the SID at the other, more redundancy and flexibility are provided
PRD12,000
In 2003, GustoMSC has developed the Generic PRD12,000 drillship design, in relation to the requirements for the emerging
Surface BOP drilling technology as developed in the late 1990s. Main objective of the design and the technology was to obtain
cost reduction in drilling operations by enabling the drilling contractor to use a lower day rate drillship for ultra deepwater.
The size decrease of the ship is made possible by replacing heavy subsea drilling equipment, such as the Subsea BOP stack,
Lower Marine Riser Package (LMRP) and Marine Drilling Riser (MDR) by lighter surface equipment, i.e. a Surface BOP
stack and a high pressure casing riser. The design in its early stages is shown in Fig. 4.
6 OTC 20635
In the comparison table of this equipment (Table 1), the order of magnitude of weight saving is indicated, leading directly to a
reduction in required displacement for the vessel. Furthermore, the associated mud volumes in the casing riser benefits the
optimization in vessel size, by reducing the required mud pit capacity, mud pump capacity and proportionally the power re-
quirement while drilling.
To create sufficient clearance between riser tension ring and diverter for the BOP and telescopic joint, the vessel has a relative-
ly high drillfloor. To enhance the stability performance of the vessel, the drillfloor is divided into a utility floor and drillfloor
level. All items not specifically required on drillfloor level are located at utility floor level, to lower the center of gravity, and
consequently to decrease the need for vessel width to obtain sufficient stability. This split level solution is one of the key de-
sign features of the PRD12,000 drillship.
The vessel main dimensions and layout found their origin initially to accommodate Surface BOP drilling. However, the design
allows for Subsea BOP drilling as well. The result is a versatile vessel that can be used in several market segments. The tank
and design load capacities are specifically adapted to the application of Surface BOP operation in 10,000 to 12,000 feet water-
depth, but these demands match the requirements for conventional drilling in up to 5,000 feet of water. As a result, the em-
ployability of the unit in several markets is facilitated, potentially improving the utilization rate of the unit.
The autonomy and storage capacity are sufficient for drilling two to three wells.
The envisioned operational areas are West Africa, the Gulf of Mexico, Southeast Asia and as a base case scenario the deepwa-
ter plays offshore Brazil were taken. The station keeping performance of the vessel is provided by a Dynamic Positioning (DP)
system. The DP system is DP3 compliant.
The PRD12,000 includes a number of unconventional solutions, but some aspects that are field proven solutions are main-
tained. The engine rooms and funnel are still located in the aft of the hull. Pipelay vessel based drillship concepts have been
studied, which have their engine room located in the forward part of the ship, directly under the personnel accommodation
block. This concept is not used in drillship design, for a number of reasons. The farther the accommodation block is from the
engines, the greater the distance from the noise and vibration source. Consequently, lower cost is involved in mitigation. And,
OTC 20635 7
unlike pipelay vessels that follow the path of a pipeline under construction, drillships operating on location have their bow
pointed towards the environment, making it logical to have the funnels at the stern. Engine rooms and funnels placed forward
engulf the drillfloor, derrick, other working areas and fresh air intakes on the ship in smoke and hot exhaust gasses (Davis
1982). The recognition of a comparable problem on a semi submersible instigated the development of exhaust jetting systems
as a solution in that situation.
Also, the PRD12,000 does not feature large hatches in its working decks. Concepts with large, removable hatches e.g. cover-
ing the riser storage bay have been evaluated. Besides the fact that handling of a heavy and large hatch (longer than the riser
joint) is unattractive from a safety point of view, there is also the issue of having to clear the hatch from equipment and other
objects, and reserving storage space for both these objects and the hatch, when accessing the bay for riser handling. The same
is applicable for any design, where the drillfloor is too low to position a BOP and LMRP stack under the diverter, and where a
solution has been proposed by including a drillfloor moving relative to derrick and substructure and a host of skidding sys-
tems.
As a third point, the PRD12,000 boasts a normal bow shape. A special bow shape may certainly offer an advantage for plat-
form supply vessels or other ships that transport cargo, but it does not match the operational profile of a drillship, as it stays on
location most of the time. In addition, research shows that the moonpool has a significant contribution when it comes to the
resistance of a drillship (van ‘t Veer and Tholen 2008, Fig. 5), which can be reduced by careful design. On the contrary, a spe-
cial bow shape adds complexity to the building process, impacting project economics without adding value.
Several designs have been derived from the Generic PRD12,000 design. Specific features have been included in a unit to adapt
it to operation in Arctic conditions. Also, a version has been developed to be suitable for the implementation of a drilling sys-
tem based on a so called Multi Purpose Tower (MPT), instead of a conventional drilling package.
PRD12,000 Arctic
The versatility and flexibility of the design is demonstrated by a customization of the PRD12,000 for arctic navigation. With-
out impacting the drilling capability, the PRD12,000 was transformed into an arctic rig able to navigate and operate in ice-
infested waters where no ramming is expected. The associated ice classifications in accordance with DNV are ICE-05
WINTERIZED (-15). In cooperation with ice experts of the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) and the Ham-
burgische Schiffbau-Versuchsanstalt (HSVA), the hull form of the generic PRD12,000 was customized to optimize the charac-
teristics of the hull for ice-infested waters of arctic environments. The hull was extensively tested in the ice testing facility of
HSVA (Fig. 6).
For operations in ice-infested waters, the vessel is equipped with an 8-point anchor mooring system, in addition to the dynamic
positioning station keeping system. The vessel is able to keep station in water depths up to 200 – 300 meters by means of this
8-point mooring system, combined with fairleads below the waterline, where they are protected from the ice.
The ship including the marine systems, anchor mooring systems and thruster systems, was modified to be able to withstand the
extreme arctic environmental conditions. The modifications include shelters for deck and other exposed equipment, water
spray protection for the life boats, anti- and de-icing equipment, heat tracing and cable heating amongst others. The ship is also
adapted to meet the requirements of zero discharge and DNV CLEAN DESIGN, which is required for the environmentally
sensitive areas targeted for this design.
8 OTC 20635
PRD12,000 MPT
At the request of client Frontier Drilling, the PRD12,000 was customized to combine its specific features with the Multi Pur-
pose Tower (MPT) system, replacing the conventional derrick and drawworks. Although originally designed for a derrick,
incorporation of the special hoisting system of the MPT proved feasible as well.
This drilling tower is a drilling equipment alternative to the conventional derrick and drawworks system, where the lattice
structure is replaced by a vertical box structure, envisioning advantages of weight and vertical center of gravity decrease.
These decreases are achieved by the box structure replacing the derrick and part of the substructure. The main dimensions of
the vessel were not changed and the hull was not reshaped for this hoisting system. Replacing the derrick structure takes away
the V-doors, which allows e.g. longer tubulars to be handled.
The MPT system has drawworks with passive and active heave compensation, mounted inside the box structure. It provides
protection from the environment for the equipment that is inside, and environment free maintenance conditions. Both drillship
and MPT are designed in accordance with classification society Det Norske Veritas (DNV) regulations.
Applying the principles of the PRD12,000, combining it with the MPT system and the customization of both technical solu-
tions into one drillship, has led to a working solution obtaining advantage of both designs. The resulting design is a new gen-
eration drillship in the size and cost range of a typical 4th generation rig, however with the drilling capability and functionality
range of a 6th generation rig.
Because the drilling contractor has the ambition to enter new segments of the drilling market such as the Arctic, the hull of this
PRD12,000 version was designed in accordance with DNV ICE-05 WINTERIZED (-15).
The contract for the construction of the hull was awarded to Shanghai Shipyards. Because GustoMSC is an independent design
company, the drilling contractor has the advantage of freedom of choice to challenge the market in search of the best offer to
construct the vessel. The contract for system integration and completion of the drillship was awarded to Keppel Shipyard.
Overall project management remained with Frontier Drilling. In 2008, contracts for hull construction and completion for a
second PRD12,000, Bully II, were awarded to these yards likewise.
OTC 20635 9
Figure 7. Bully 1 (left) and Bully II (right) nearing completion at the Keppel Shipyard
Completion work on both drillships at Keppel Shipyards (Fig. 7) is progressing well. By the time of writing of this paper, the
4,000,000 manhours Lost Time Incidents Free milestone was attained. Bully 1 is scheduled for delivery by mid 2010. Bully II
is scheduled for delivery by late 2010. Bully 1 will operate on a 5 year contract with Shell in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
Bully II will operate on a 10 year contract with Shell worldwide.
Developments
Considerable knowledge and experience was gained by all parties involved. Meanwhile, new PRD12,000 class developments
are continuously being researched by GustoMSC. Fig. 8 shows two examples of further design developments, where the left
picture shows a version optimized towards mobility, i.e. high transit speed and low bridge passage.
Conclusions
In this paper it has been identified that curbing the trend in the growth in size of drillships is made possible using the Surface
BOP system, taking full advantage of the reduced drilling loads, when applying it on the compact drill ship design in the
PRD12,000 concept. Making use of the reduced/compact size drillship concept with enhanced drilling technology enables the
contractor to drill deepwater wells which conventionally requires a 6th generation drillship. In this paper it is shown that the
PRD12,000 concept will have improved performance indicators: sustainability, impact on natural resources and fuel oil con-
10 OTC 20635
sumption, dynamic positioning and speed, all at lower costs. It makes the PRD12,000 concept a competitive alternative to the
existing and future 6th generation fleet. The viability of the concept is demonstrated by the construction of (by the time of writ-
ing of this paper) two newbuilds.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the management of Frontier Drilling for their permission to publish the information regarding
the Bully drillships and associated pictures, and the management of GustoMSC for their support and approval in the writing of
this paper.
References
Brander, G., Magne, E., Newman, T. Taklo, T. and Mitchell, C. 2004. Drilling in Brazil in 2887m Water Depth using a
Surface BOP system and a DP Vessel. Paper SPE 87113 presented at the SPE IADC/SPE Drilling Conference, Dallas, Texas,
2-4 March 2004.
Davies, M.E. and Miller, B.L. 1982. Wind Effects on Offshore Platforms – A Summary of Wind Tunnel Studies. Report
NMI R140. National Maritime Institute, Feltham, United Kingdom.
Surface BOP Guidelines for Floating MODUs. 2004. International Association of Drilling Contractors, Houston, Texas.
Veer, R. van ‘t and Tholen, H.J. 2008. Added Resistance of Moonpools in Calm Water. Paper OMAE2008-57246. Proc.,
ASME 27th International Conference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering, Estoril, Portugal, 15-20 June 2008.