Scotland's Kishorn Port Ltd (KPL) said it will host the world's largest semi-submersible offshore drilling rig, the 60,800-metric-ton Ocean GreatWhite, for preparation work ahead of a drilling contract in the North Sea early in 2019.
The Diamond Offshore owned Ocean GreatWhite is a 6th Generation Harsh Environment drilling rig capable of drilling down to 10,000m in 3,000m of water. With a draft of over 23 meters, the rig needs deep water for anchoring.
The Ocean GreatWhite made its way from Singapore, via Las Palmas in the Canaries over the last five months assisted by the oceangoing offshore supply vessel Alp Defender.
Kishorn Port Ltd (KPL), a joint venture between and Leiths (Scotland) Ltd and Ferguson Transport and Shipping, was created in 2008 to promote the regeneration of the Kishorn Yard and dry dock as a major facility for the manufacturing of renewable energy components, decommissioning and support to the North Sea oil and gas sector.
The yard and the dry dock were very busy in the early years of the North Sea oil and gas boom, employing over 3,000 people and generating a huge contribution to the local Highlands economy. Howard Doris, the yard operators finally succumbed to insolvency in 1988 and the yard lay largely dormant until 1992.
KPL secured a comprehensive Masterplan permission in 2013 and have been promoting the Yard and its unique dry dock for use by the renewables and oil and gas sectors for the last five years following significant investments in site infrastructure.
Simon Russell, Director said, “After many years of working on the Kishorn project, [the Ocean GreatWhite project] is a great step towards its future regeneration and the creation of local jobs and opportunities.”