Here’s another mostly photographic account of quite commonplace traffic off Louisiana, aka in the oil patch.
Fourchon Runner is running some supplies, equipment, and likely personnel out to one of a forest of platforms involved in oil and gas extraction. Here are stats on Fourchon Runner.
This unit on the stern looks to my untrained eye to be a ROV.
Is this an active nearshore drill rig?
Standing by platform Enterprise 205, registered in Monrovia, is GOL Power. GOL expands to Gulf Offshore Logistics, and they have a diverse fleet as seen here. Click here for a short history of Enterprise Offshore Drilling, and here for more info on their 205. Surprisingly it has 84 berths. I’m wondering why the foreign registry.
A ways farther east, and visible for miles, was platform Enterprise 351, capable of working in deeper water, up to 350′!
Jacob Gerald, a GOL utility vessel, passes a platform, likely not a drilling platform.
As we began our turn toward the SW Pass of the Mississippi River is Randolph John,
Jimmie Holmes Elevator is a 2006 lift boat. A lot of lift boats have names including the word “elevator.”
The 2005 ABI C was headed off to deliver supplies and who knows what else.
Sea Service 1 is a 180′ GOL vessel.
All photos and any errors, WVD.
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August 8, 2022 at 2:30 pm
George Schneider
ENTERPRISE 205 and ENTERPRISE 351 are both self-elevating drilling rigs, oilfield term “Jack-ups.”
The difference in legs is purely a design feature; Bethlehem favored cylindrical legs, Marathon-LeTourneau favored lattice legs. Both are “cantelever” rigs, meaning they can skid the rig floor off to the side instead of drilling down between the legs. This design was developed so they could become the drilling unit for existing platforms, either to drill new wells in the same template, or to “Workover” existing wells.
A major difference is that 205 was built as a “mat” unit, with another triangular structure joining the bottoms of the legs. The more-favored design is the “independent Leg.” where each leg is lowered independently and finds its own firm ground for supporting its corner of the rig.
205 was built in 1979 by Bethlehem Steel in Beaumont Texas as DIXILYN FIELD 85. She’s on her 6th name and owner. 351 was built in 1981 by Davie Shipbuilding in Layzon, Quebec as PETROBRAS VI and is only on her third name. Both are considered “on their last legs” (excuse me) due to their age and antiquity of design.
And why Flag of Convenience? It’s simply cheaper and easier. Originally oilfield felt that only major flags could operate rigs safely and the U. S. had a huge drilling fleet deployed worldwide. But in the early 1980’s, when three major-flag drilling rigs sank, the mystique was quickly abandoned.