Leiv Eiriksson lies in anchorage on the outskirts of Istanbul, just a stone’s throw from the Besiktas Shipyard dry dock. Three engineers from Inocean are on board, working systematically on the rig, measuring the weight and placement of all the equipment. The weight control is part of the 10-year class certification procedures for Leiv Eiriksson, one of the world’s most modern semi-sub drilling rigs.
A few days earlier Leiv Eiriksson had created quite a stir among Istanbul residents when it sailed slowly through the Bosphorus, with its derrick lowered, passing with minimal clearance under two bridges. Inocean contributed with support in the planning of this operation, where wind and currents were crucial factors.
All over the rig
On the roster now are weight controls and draft measurements. Reidar Berthelsen, Miroslaw Lisiak and Birger Bech have already been aboard for a few days. They’ve crawled on all fours inside tanks to measure fluid levels. They’ve been down in the pontoons and estimated the weight of anchor chains. They’ve meticulously gone over the machine room examining nuts, bolts and spare parts. They’ve checked out the food and beverage depots. They’ve tallied containers, drilling equipment − you name it.
Demanding work
“It’s demanding work with regard to the immense amount of equipment we’re investigating, spread out across a large area,” said Birger Bech. “So we’ve had long days, doing hard physical work, while remaining painstakingly exact and systematic. And when the weather is like it was yesterday, with the wind gusting at up to 60 knots, there’s some action in the mix. But we were well prepared and cooperation with the crew and other involved parties is going really well, so we’re on schedule,” Bech said.
Displacement
An essential phase of Inocean’s assignment was the draft measurement and density assessments of the water, to calculate the platform’s displacement. This required Inocean team together with representatives from owner Ocean Rig and the classification society boarding a small boat that maneuvered around the columns to read drafts and take water samples. The data they collected was later used to calculate the light ship displacement of the platform.
Within the margins
Back home from Turkey after delivering the report to Ocean Rig, Birger Bech explains that the purpose of the job was to ascertain whether the weight of the rig has altered and to control whether is still maintains the stability required by class. “The deviations we found were within relevant margins, so no inclining tests was needed this time.” This autumn Eirik Raude, the sister rig of Leiv Eiriksson, is due for the same classification tests, so I expect we’ll be doing a similar job. I’m looking forward to it,” says Bech.
Inocean has been a naval architectural partner with Ocean Rig, with a focus on Leiv Eiriksson and Eirik Raude (Bingo9000 design), ever since their initial classification assessments were made in 2001.
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Source:Inocean , May 9, 2011