Bureau Veritas Oversees Drilling Rig Upgrade
Bureau Veritas is overseeing the upgrade of semi-submersible drilling unit ENSCO 5004. The rig, which can drill to 25,000ft in a water depth of 1,500ft, is classed by Bureau Veritas. The upgrade, which is being carried out in Malta, is expected to be completed by June 2014, in preparation for a 900-day contract working offshore Libya. During the upgrade, Bureau Veritas carried out a major classification survey covering inspection of the internal structure of ballast tanks, columns, bracings and internal girders, as well as inspection of the drill floor, helideck support structure, crane pedestals, lifeboat platform supports and heavy deck equipment foundations. This work also included an underwater survey, in lieu of dry-dock, mooring chains measurements, design reviews and inspections of several modifications. It will conclude with an inclining test and approval of the new stability booklet. Bureau Veritas’ survey centre in Malta is being supported in these surveys by the plan approval office in Houston and the marine centre in Miami, as well as by teams from the Paris head office and the equipment & materials certification unit in the UK.