China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) has sealed a deal to build two additional drillships for Reignwood Group’s subsidiary Opus Offshore, thus exercising an option from a previous order made by Opus offshore in January 2012.
Shanghai Shipyard, one of the top shipbuilding and repairing bases under the CSSC, will be responsible for planning and construction of these ships. The vessels will be classed by ABS. With designed tonnage of 45,000 tons, these “Tiger” drillships can operate at a depth of 900 meters. Through an upgrade of design and construction, the ships can achieve a maximum depth of 1,500 meters with a drilling depth of 10,000 meters.
The first Tiger drillship is scheduled to be delivered in 2014.
This is the first time that a Chinese Shipyard is constructing deep sea drillships entirely on its own.
Established in 1862, Shanghai Shipyard is one of the earliest shipyards in China, with 150 years history and operating under the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). It is a major, large-scale state owned enterprise mainly focusing on shipbuilding and maintenance, and also has capacity in large steel structure and ocean engineering fields.
[mappress] World Maritime News Staff, January 16, 2013; Image: CSSC