Far East-Levingston Shipbuilding Ltd. (FELS), Singapore, recently announced it has signed a contract to construct a drillship for Global Marine Drilling Company of USA. The vessel will be built in Singapore and is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 1983.
The vessel will be a twin-screw, diesel electric-powered single-hull drilling unit designed to drill up to 25,000 feet in water depths up to 2,000 feet. It will meet the intact and damage stability criteria of the current ABS and USCG Rules for "Mobile Offshore Drilling Units," and will incorporate the latest drilling technology.
The 445-foot by 76-foot by 35-foot vessel will include a helicopter deck designed to support the landing weight of a fully loaded Sikorsky S-61 helicopter. The self-propelled drillship will have accommodation facilities for 96 offshore personnel, including a six-person hospital.
The drillship will be christened Glomar Bismarck Sea and will be among the largest drillships to be built in this part of the world. It will be the fifth drillship to be fabricated by Far East-Levingston Shipbuilding.