The Broughton II, which was commissioned March 14 at Bethlehem Steel Corporation's shipyard at Beaumont, Texas, is similar to the Broughton I, shown here drilling on location. The latter was also built for Broughton Offshore Company of Houston by the Beaumont yard.
Broughton Offshore Company of Houston and Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Beaumont, Texas, shipyard recently commissioned a 100-foot water depth, mobile offshore drilling unit. The rig was christened the Broughton II by its sponsor, Mrs. W.J. Wooten, wife of the president of Texas Gas Exploration Corporation, Houston. This rig is the second of two similar units to be delivered by Bethlehem to this offshore drilling company.
The mat-supported jackup consists of a platform measuring 143 feet by 100 feet supported by three 6-foot-diameter columns fixed to a large mat that is 180 feet by 140 feet. It features a heavy-duty cantilevered substructure that offers the capability of positioning its drill floor over existing offshore production platforms in order to drill development wells or to rework existing wells. The rig will operate in waters from 10 to 100 feet deep and has equipment rated for drilling wells to 30,000 feet. It is capable of withstanding forces resulting from 100-knot winds and 43-foot seas.
On location, the rig will have a total variable load capacity of three million pounds and will handle hook-plus-setback loads of one million pounds on wells as far as 35 feet aft of the platform deck. It will have a maximum cantilever reach of 45 feet with a hook/setback load capacity of 750,000 pounds at the rig centerline.
The Broughton II will contain onboard, air-conditioned living accommodations for 49 persons, complete with sleeping quarters, galley, recreation room, laundry, and rest rooms. It was designed and built to comply with U.S. Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping standards for construction of mobile offshore drilling units.