Drilling semi-submersibles designed for harsh environments

The OCEAN850-HE and OCEAN1600-HE form the basis for the midwater and deepwater harsh-environment regions of operations, respectively. The semi-submersible hull shape is especially designed for low motion characteristics and optimal station-keeping capabilities.
The OCEAN1600-HE is the top of the range and largest drilling semi design by GustoMSC to date. With a maximum displacement of approximately 70,000 tonnes, a large derrick, DP3 and a 16-point mooring system for station-keeping – combined with a large deck area and large variable deck load – it aims at the high-spec deepwater spectrum and is designed to cope with conditions in the North Atlantic.
The OCEAN850-HE provides a cost-efficient midwater harsh-environment design, Gusto MSC says, noting that capex needs to be controlled as well as opex in the current market to be able to work profitably at a reasonable day rate. The result is a moored-only, harsh-environment semi-submersible of approximately 50,000 tonnes displacement with a water depth rating of 1,000m and an efficient sixth-generation single derrick combined with horizontal riser storage.
GustoMSC has been involved in the design and engineering of semi-submersibles since the 1970s. Its proprietary OCEAN series was started in 2008. With the introduction of the OCEAN-HE series, GustoMSC says it’s able to provide full coverage of the harsh-environment drilling spectrum.