Cal Dive International, Inc. announced today that the multiservice vessel Uncle John is currently undergoing an upgrade to the vessel’s dynamic positioning and derrick systems, which will enable the vessel to perform light well intervention work in water depths up to 3,500 feet.
The upgrade is part of the Company’s original capital expenditure budget for 2011. Completion of this upgrade is anticipated during the middle of the first quarter of 2012. Following this upgrade and upon completion of 45 days of work for a major oil and gas operator, the Uncle John will commence a P&A Support Contract for two deepwater wells for Apache Corporation. This awarded work is expected to keep the Uncle John utilized late into the second quarter of 2012.
Quinn Hébert, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cal Dive , stated, “We are pleased to announce the upgrade of the Uncle John and the award of our first light well intervention contract by Apache utilizing the vessel’s upgraded capability. We are excited about the opportunities available to Cal Dive in entering this new market segment where we have received significant interest from our customers. This will allow Cal Dive to further diversify our market reach beyond our traditional diving and integrated construction services.”
Cal Dive International, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a marine contractor that provides an integrated offshore construction solution to its customers, including manned diving, pipelay and pipe burial, platform installation and platform salvage services to the offshore oil and natural gas industry on the Gulf of Mexico OCS, Northeastern U.S., Latin America, Southeast Asia, China, Australia, the Middle East, India and the Mediterranean, with a fleet of 29 vessels, including 19 surface and saturation diving support vessels and 10 construction barges.
[mappress] World Maritime News Staff, November 17, 2011; Image: Cal Dive International