DNV GL, one of the world’s largest classification societies, has given an approval in principle to Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. Ltd (DSIC) for their new DSJ-500 jack-up design for drilling in depths of up to 500 feet.
The approval in principle certificate was today handed over to Liu Wenmin, DSIC Deputy Technical Director, by Tor E. Svensen, DNV GL Group Executive Vice President, at the Marintec China trade fair in Shanghai today.
The new design DSJ-500 is the first jack-up unit that DSIC has developed to work in 500ft water depths.
“Ownership of design is essential for setting the standards in next generation drilling rigs, where made-in-China material and equipment play a more important role. We’re aiming to achieve the best possible economical results while maintaining safety standards and reliability. This will give us the edge in an ever more competitive market,” Wenmin said.
Previously, in 2011 and 2013, DSIC developed 350ft and 400ft drilling jack-up designs and both were approved by DNV GL and received orders.
With the growing demand for jack-ups with higher specifications for operation in specific regions, DSIC decided to develop a new design capable of working to a maximum of 500ft water depth, in moderate to harsh ocean environments. It completes DSIC’s in-house jack-up design portfolio, which covers water depths from 300 to 500ft, the most common operational ranges for modern jack-ups.
A three-legged jack-up rig of the DSJ-500 design will be able to accommodate a crew for 150 people, and will have an operating water depth capability of 500ft in moderate to harsh environments of Southern and Central North Sea and similar regions worldwide.