Dave, my husband is away on a work project in Coega, Port Elizabeth for about 8 weeks… and this was a newsy email about work that he sent me last night. *Smile*
Coega Harbour,
Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
Hello Sweetheart,
I took these just now with you in mind…
The Rig on the left is the Ensco 5001 we did some repairs on her last year and I qualified some Welders to go to Cape Town to carry out some specialised welding. Once the work was finished she obviously was available for new contracts. Unfortunately the oil price dropped through the floor during her layover. Consequently, she hasn’t picked up a new contract and is unlikely too. She is now forty years old, that is about fifteen years past her planned working lifespan. She is seen in the photos being towed out of Coega Harbour, (Port Elizabeth) probably on her way to India or some other third world destination to be cut up for scrap.
On our right is the Transocean Marianas, the yellow one…
She is seventeen years old so just about mid-life, she is what they term hot stacked, meaning fully equipped and ready to receive and travel to her next contract. She has however been off contract for almost a year already. She was also worked on last year by our Cape Town branch.
She fairly represents the common oil rigs available for standard drilling and pumping operations. A fourth generation rig…
In the centre is our very own Maersk Deliverer, sixth generation, fully satellite and computer controlled dynamic positioning systems. Delivered in 2010, she is having her first five year survey. She has contracts to take up immediately she is ready to sail.
These photos are then fairly unique, in one snap we see the drilling industry from the early offshore operations in the 70’s up until present day technology which has made the exploration of deeper and more hazardous regions possible. Here we have the old, the middle aged and the young Turks all in one frame. I thought it interesting enough to put fingers to keyboard and I hope you enjoy my little ditty…
I Love You and Miss You 🙂
Links:
- Coega Development Corporation
- Wiki page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coega
- Marine Traffic (shows you on the global map where ships and rigs and other marine vessels are located).
MAERSK DELIVERER location - Stats for the MAERSK DELIVERER
