Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has laid claim to delivering the world's largest semisubmersibles - the Ocean Greatwhite, for Houston based driller Diamond Offshore.
Ocean Greatwhite, measuring 123m-long and 78m-wide, is capable of operating in waters up to 3000m deep and drilling down to a depth of 10,670m from the sea surface.
The rig will be chartered to BP for operation in the Great Australian Bight from October this year.
BP's plans for drilling in the Great Australian Bight has been set back, however. Australia's National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority extended a timeframe for the major to submit a modified environmental plan for its exploration drilling in the Bight. A plan last year was rejected.
HHI won the order worth $630 million to build the rig in 2013 and has delivered four other drillships to the US-based drilling contractor so far.
The delivery, on 15 July, saw HHI paid US$395 million. An HHI official said: “The close cooperation between Diamond Offshore and HHI on the basis of mutual trust is what made the delivery of Ocean Greatwhite possible.”
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