Tough new jack-up for rough seas

Journal Article · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1984 · Ocean Ind.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6341032

Rowan Company's new deepwater jack-up, Rowan Gorilla I, is scheduled to spud its initial well off the east coast of Canada later this month for a consortium of oil companies including Bow Valley-Husky and ATS Exploration Ltd. The new rig's class designation--Gorilla--reflects designers' expectations for the drilling unit that is suited to work in virtually all ice-free hostile environmental areas of the world. Rowan's confidence in the design, built by Marathon LeTourneau's Vicksburg, Mississippi yard, is reiterated by the fact that two additional rigs in the Gorilla class are being built. Rowan Gorilla II is being constructed at Marathon's Singapore yard, and the Rowan Gorilla III is in early construction stages at the firm's Vicksburg yard. The three Gorilla-class rigs will cost in excess of $85 million each, including owner-furnished drilling equipment. This, according to owners, will make them among the costliest jack-ups in the world. Another record being claimed by the Gorilla-class drilling units is that they are the largest jack-ups in the world. Fully outfitted, a Gorilla contains 16,000 tons of steel. Its triangular hull measures 297 ft from bow to stern and 292 ft across the stern. The rig has a variable load of 2,750 tons for drilling consumables and 42,265 sq ft of deck space. Its ample storage capacity, along with its 503-ft leg length and certain design features, makes the rig compatible with hostile offshore areas, where it can continue drilling for long periods unattended.

• OSTI ID: 6341032
• Journal Information: Ocean Ind.; (United States), Vol. 19:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
03 NATURAL GAS
42 ENGINEERING
OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
DESIGN
PERFORMANCE
SUPPORTS
COST
DEPTH
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OFFSHORE DRILLING
WAVE FORCES
DIMENSIONS
DRILLING
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production
030300 - Natural Gas- Drilling
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423000 - Engineering- Marine Engineering- (1980-)