Are all floaters in the GOM accounted for?
WilliamH
Earlier today Fox news was reporting that 2 had broken loose and moving. Don't think they mentioned names though.
Jeff
Jeff
Transocean Inc. Provides Update on Gulf of Mexico Fleet Status Following Hurricane KatrinaHOUSTON, Aug 29, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Transocean Inc. (NYSE:RIG) today announced that the moored semisubmersible Deepwater Nautilus has drifted off location in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The rig's present location is being monitored remotely by a transponder beacon onboard the unit. All personnel had previously been safely evacuated and the well was secured before the approach of the storm. The U.S. Coast Guard has been notified of the situation.
Three other Transocean moored vessels were safely evacuated and have remained on location in the aftermath of the storm. The company's six dynamically positioned vessels all successfully moved out of the main track of the storm prior to its arrival.
Plans are in place to re-man the moored vessels and assess their condition. The company will provide an update when more information becomes available.
Transocean Inc. is the world's largest offshore drilling contractor with a fleet of 92 mobile offshore drilling units. The company's mobile offshore drilling fleet, consisting of a large number of high-specification deepwater and harsh environment drilling units, is considered one of the most modern and versatile in the world due to its emphasis on technically demanding segments of the offshore drilling business. The company's fleet consists of 32 High-Specification Floaters (semisubmersibles and drillships), 24 Other Floaters, 25 Jackup Rigs and other assets utilized in the support of offshore drilling activities worldwide. With a current equity market capitalization in excess of $18 billion, Transocean Inc.'s ordinary shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "RIG."
SOURCE: Transocean Inc.
Three other Transocean moored vessels were safely evacuated and have remained on location in the aftermath of the storm. The company's six dynamically positioned vessels all successfully moved out of the main track of the storm prior to its arrival.
Plans are in place to re-man the moored vessels and assess their condition. The company will provide an update when more information becomes available.
Transocean Inc. is the world's largest offshore drilling contractor with a fleet of 92 mobile offshore drilling units. The company's mobile offshore drilling fleet, consisting of a large number of high-specification deepwater and harsh environment drilling units, is considered one of the most modern and versatile in the world due to its emphasis on technically demanding segments of the offshore drilling business. The company's fleet consists of 32 High-Specification Floaters (semisubmersibles and drillships), 24 Other Floaters, 25 Jackup Rigs and other assets utilized in the support of offshore drilling activities worldwide. With a current equity market capitalization in excess of $18 billion, Transocean Inc.'s ordinary shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "RIG."
SOURCE: Transocean Inc.
PEMEX's PSS Chemul hit the Cochrane-Africatown USA bridge
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Oil platform slams into span
Tuesday, August 30, 2005 By JEFF AMY and ANDREA JAMES
Staff Reporters
A 13,000-ton oil platform blown loose from its moorings Monday morning by Hurricane Katrina plowed through a state docks terminal and then slammed into the Cochrane-Africatown USA bridge, severing a vital trucking link.
It was unclear Monday evening how long the bridge would be closed. State Transportation Department inspectors began examining the bridge Monday evening after traveling from Montgomery, but were expected to complete their work this morning.
Trucks carrying hazardous materials depend on the bridge to bypass the Wallace and Bankhead tunnels, where such cargo is prohibited. The closure means hazardous-material trucks must go north to Interstate 65 to cross the river.
Tony Harris, a transportation department spokesman, said the state was working Monday to deploy message signs warning of the detour.
The PSS Chemul, an oil platform belonging to Mexican state oil company PEMEX, had been drydocked atop a leased barge at Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. Inc.'s yard nine. The shipyard is on Blakeley Island, on the east bank of the Mobile River. Bender won a contract last year to expand and refit the vessel, which holds crews and does maintenance on offshore oil platforms.
Bender could not be reached for comment Monday.
Monday morning, a "very alert" captain of a nearby ship saw the loose platform and reported it, according to Harbormaster Capt. Dave Carey. Tugboats chased the Chemul, but couldn't corral it, as it blew across the river, colliding with a berth and then a barge loader at Alabama State Port Authority's Bulk Material Handling Plant.
The Coast Guard monitored the news of the Chemul, but couldn't send out crews right away because of the dangerously high winds, according to spokesman Petty Officer Nyx Cangemi.
"It really comes down to life over property," he said. Initial reports showed that the platform rolled down the berth near the mouth of Three Mile Creek, potentially hitting it several times, docks Director Jimmy Lyons said.
The rig then destroyed a barge loader. "The barge loader is gone," Lyons said.
The docks agency was spending $10 million to expand the berth, which was planned to handle wood products and general cargo. The berth was scheduled to reopen within weeks, but the collision may have damaged the dock or its pilings. Lyons said the barge loader alone was worth $4 million, and pier damage could cost millions more.
The bulk plant and barge loader were just an appetizer for the Chemul, which drifted farther north, scraping under the bridge before 11:15 a.m., according to Tony Harris, a spokesman for the Transportation Department.
The collision with the 140-foot-high bridge roadway sheared off much of the top structure of the platform. The storm-surge swollen river pinned the Chemul under the west side of the bridge for several hours. But about 5 p.m., the barge began to slowly pinwheel, as the receding river allowed it come unpinned.
Harris said inspectors planned to eyeball the $70 million bridge Monday night. Opened in 1991, it is Alabama's only cable-stayed bridge.
Pemex will be held liable for the damage to docks facilities, but that issue might be settled between Bender and Pemex, Lyons said.
When Bender landed the contract in November, the company touted it as the first oil rig job. The project was projected to employ as many as 350 people, as Bender repainted the platform, as well as adding new office and living quarters.
Although the Port of Mobile shut down Sunday night, three ships were unable to evacuate.
"The weather got too bad too fast to get them out," Lyons said.
The port could remain closed for days before the Army Corps of Engineers and Coast Guard inspection teams find it safe to navigate.
The oil platform was not the only escapee during Katrina. Robert Rishel, vice president of towboat company Henry Marine Services, said tugboats chased a number of barges. "The tugboats did what they could," Rishel said.
Rishel drove to the end of Paper Mill Road Monday evening to look at the oil platform, and spotted what appeared to be several barges floating over the CSX railroad track north of the bridge.
Docks officials received preliminary reports of empty containers floating loose after the container yard flooded, they said. The police building lost shingles, a maintenance building lost a roof and some of the warehouses lost doors. That could mean damage to the forest products like lumber, paper and plywood, Lyons said.
The Alabama state docks was one of the first areas to flood Monday, and Harbormaster Carey estimated the storm surge to be 11 feet.
© 2005 The Mobile Register© 2005 al.com All Rights Reserved. if (window.print) window.print();
Tuesday, August 30, 2005 By JEFF AMY and ANDREA JAMES
Staff Reporters
A 13,000-ton oil platform blown loose from its moorings Monday morning by Hurricane Katrina plowed through a state docks terminal and then slammed into the Cochrane-Africatown USA bridge, severing a vital trucking link.
It was unclear Monday evening how long the bridge would be closed. State Transportation Department inspectors began examining the bridge Monday evening after traveling from Montgomery, but were expected to complete their work this morning.
Trucks carrying hazardous materials depend on the bridge to bypass the Wallace and Bankhead tunnels, where such cargo is prohibited. The closure means hazardous-material trucks must go north to Interstate 65 to cross the river.
Tony Harris, a transportation department spokesman, said the state was working Monday to deploy message signs warning of the detour.
The PSS Chemul, an oil platform belonging to Mexican state oil company PEMEX, had been drydocked atop a leased barge at Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. Inc.'s yard nine. The shipyard is on Blakeley Island, on the east bank of the Mobile River. Bender won a contract last year to expand and refit the vessel, which holds crews and does maintenance on offshore oil platforms.
Bender could not be reached for comment Monday.
Monday morning, a "very alert" captain of a nearby ship saw the loose platform and reported it, according to Harbormaster Capt. Dave Carey. Tugboats chased the Chemul, but couldn't corral it, as it blew across the river, colliding with a berth and then a barge loader at Alabama State Port Authority's Bulk Material Handling Plant.
The Coast Guard monitored the news of the Chemul, but couldn't send out crews right away because of the dangerously high winds, according to spokesman Petty Officer Nyx Cangemi.
"It really comes down to life over property," he said. Initial reports showed that the platform rolled down the berth near the mouth of Three Mile Creek, potentially hitting it several times, docks Director Jimmy Lyons said.
The rig then destroyed a barge loader. "The barge loader is gone," Lyons said.
The docks agency was spending $10 million to expand the berth, which was planned to handle wood products and general cargo. The berth was scheduled to reopen within weeks, but the collision may have damaged the dock or its pilings. Lyons said the barge loader alone was worth $4 million, and pier damage could cost millions more.
The bulk plant and barge loader were just an appetizer for the Chemul, which drifted farther north, scraping under the bridge before 11:15 a.m., according to Tony Harris, a spokesman for the Transportation Department.
The collision with the 140-foot-high bridge roadway sheared off much of the top structure of the platform. The storm-surge swollen river pinned the Chemul under the west side of the bridge for several hours. But about 5 p.m., the barge began to slowly pinwheel, as the receding river allowed it come unpinned.
Harris said inspectors planned to eyeball the $70 million bridge Monday night. Opened in 1991, it is Alabama's only cable-stayed bridge.
Pemex will be held liable for the damage to docks facilities, but that issue might be settled between Bender and Pemex, Lyons said.
When Bender landed the contract in November, the company touted it as the first oil rig job. The project was projected to employ as many as 350 people, as Bender repainted the platform, as well as adding new office and living quarters.
Although the Port of Mobile shut down Sunday night, three ships were unable to evacuate.
"The weather got too bad too fast to get them out," Lyons said.
The port could remain closed for days before the Army Corps of Engineers and Coast Guard inspection teams find it safe to navigate.
The oil platform was not the only escapee during Katrina. Robert Rishel, vice president of towboat company Henry Marine Services, said tugboats chased a number of barges. "The tugboats did what they could," Rishel said.
Rishel drove to the end of Paper Mill Road Monday evening to look at the oil platform, and spotted what appeared to be several barges floating over the CSX railroad track north of the bridge.
Docks officials received preliminary reports of empty containers floating loose after the container yard flooded, they said. The police building lost shingles, a maintenance building lost a roof and some of the warehouses lost doors. That could mean damage to the forest products like lumber, paper and plywood, Lyons said.
The Alabama state docks was one of the first areas to flood Monday, and Harbormaster Carey estimated the storm surge to be 11 feet.
© 2005 The Mobile Register© 2005 al.com All Rights Reserved. if (window.print) window.print();
Semisub Set Adrift By Katrina Wreaks Havoc in Mobile
Semisub Set Adrift By Katrina Wreaks Havoc in Mobile
Rigzone 8/30/2005
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=24818
When Hurricane Katrina blew into Mobile Bay on Monday morning, the strong winds and large storm surge began wreaking havoc on the many ships, barges, and docks located along the shores of the Mobile River. According to Port Authorities, many barges lost their moorings and were carried up the Mobile River as the hurricane pushed inland.
However, the biggest problems were caused by PEMEX's PSS Chemul, a 13,000 ton semisubmersible accomodation unit that was under renovation at the Bender Shipbuilding Yard Nine. The high waters of the storm surge apparently carried the platform off of the leased barge, the Mobile Heavy Lifter, that was being used as its dry dock.
Bender had won the contract from PEMEX to repair and refurbish the semi in November 2004. The contract included steel and pipe repair in the vessel's hulls and columns, painting of the vessel, power generation replacement and repair, and the upgrade and the installation of alarm, monitoring and control systems. Additionally, Bender was to remove the existing accommodation and office units and install 36 new personnel accommodation units and 7 new office units, remove the existing 150-ton crane and the install a new one, and refurbish the existing permanent 300-man accommodation facility.
All in all, Bender expected to employ as many as 350 people working on the PSS Chemul. The renovation work was expected to take about 8 months to complete, so the vessel was nearing completion before Katrina hit.
According to the Mobile Register, the Chemul was carried away from the shipyard and up the Mobile River where it first crashed into the Alabama State Port Authority's Bulk Material Handling Plant. Docks Director Jimmy Lyons indicated that the Chemul completely destroyed a $4 million barge loader, while potentially causing other significant damage to the dock and pilings as it careened up the river.
Tug boats tried to corral the floating behemoth, but were thwarted by high winds and waves that prevented them from controlling it. The Cost Guard also monitored the Chemul, but was unable to provide assistance due to the high winds.
Around 11:00 am, the semisub crashed into the Cochrane-Africatown USA Bridge that crosses over the Mobile River, providing the only hazardous cargo route through the area. The 140-foot tall bridge was completed in 1991 at a cost of $70 million.
Around 5:00 pm, as the storm surge began to subside, the vessel was able to drift free from where it had been pinned under the bridge. According to witnesses, much of the top-sides structures on the Chemul was destroyed or badly damaged.
![Image]()
Semisub Set Adrift By Katrina Wreaks Havoc in Mobile
Rigzone 8/30/2005
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=24818
When Hurricane Katrina blew into Mobile Bay on Monday morning, the strong winds and large storm surge began wreaking havoc on the many ships, barges, and docks located along the shores of the Mobile River. According to Port Authorities, many barges lost their moorings and were carried up the Mobile River as the hurricane pushed inland.
However, the biggest problems were caused by PEMEX's PSS Chemul, a 13,000 ton semisubmersible accomodation unit that was under renovation at the Bender Shipbuilding Yard Nine. The high waters of the storm surge apparently carried the platform off of the leased barge, the Mobile Heavy Lifter, that was being used as its dry dock.
Bender had won the contract from PEMEX to repair and refurbish the semi in November 2004. The contract included steel and pipe repair in the vessel's hulls and columns, painting of the vessel, power generation replacement and repair, and the upgrade and the installation of alarm, monitoring and control systems. Additionally, Bender was to remove the existing accommodation and office units and install 36 new personnel accommodation units and 7 new office units, remove the existing 150-ton crane and the install a new one, and refurbish the existing permanent 300-man accommodation facility.
All in all, Bender expected to employ as many as 350 people working on the PSS Chemul. The renovation work was expected to take about 8 months to complete, so the vessel was nearing completion before Katrina hit.
According to the Mobile Register, the Chemul was carried away from the shipyard and up the Mobile River where it first crashed into the Alabama State Port Authority's Bulk Material Handling Plant. Docks Director Jimmy Lyons indicated that the Chemul completely destroyed a $4 million barge loader, while potentially causing other significant damage to the dock and pilings as it careened up the river.
Tug boats tried to corral the floating behemoth, but were thwarted by high winds and waves that prevented them from controlling it. The Cost Guard also monitored the Chemul, but was unable to provide assistance due to the high winds.
Around 11:00 am, the semisub crashed into the Cochrane-Africatown USA Bridge that crosses over the Mobile River, providing the only hazardous cargo route through the area. The 140-foot tall bridge was completed in 1991 at a cost of $70 million.
Around 5:00 pm, as the storm surge began to subside, the vessel was able to drift free from where it had been pinned under the bridge. According to witnesses, much of the top-sides structures on the Chemul was destroyed or badly damaged.
Noble Drilling had one break loose but should be under control by now, i think it was on CNN last night that Diamond Offshore is "missing" a rig
Rigzone has a lot of news on these rigs that got loose
Rigzone has a lot of news on these rigs that got loose. Here's the link:
http://www.rigzone.com/
Rigzone has a lot of news on these rigs that got loose. Here's the link:
http://www.rigzone.com/
Just saw on CNN there is a platform that washed up on the beach at Dauphin Island. They say so far no oil company has claimed it. Pretty good sized rig, not a deep water rig but still a good sized one. In a news letter from Shell, they have two rigs damaged the Mars is one and not sure of the name of the other. There onshore plants, Norco-New Orleans, Convent La., Giesmar La., and Mobile Al. are all shut down completely. Not looking good for Norco as it is a big gas and oil producer for the U.S. Could be some time before it is back up and running.
I've been in contact with buddies that work for our deepwater business unit in the Gulf. They don't know too much. The lips are all sealed for now but soon some young engineer won't be able to stand it any longer and all of the pictures will be on the net.
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