The Blue Orca, a state-ofthe-art pressure pumping vessel, has been chartered to provide offshore stimulation services to Maersk Oil in the North Sea. Upon completion, scheduled for late 2013, it will become the eighth vessel in the Baker Hughes fleet.
Rated to 15,000psi, the new vessel will offer among the largest fluid and proppant carrying capacities in the world. It will provide 15,000 hydraulic horsepower pumping capacity and the ability to pump at rates well in excess of 60bpm. Engineering work on the marine and stimulation systems has already begun.