The jackup offshore mobile drilling unit J Storm XVII was the seventh rig completed this year by the Beaumont Yard of Bethlehem Steel.
Southern Drilling Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Marine Drilling Company, and Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Beaumont, Texas, shipyard recently commissioned a 200-foot water depth mobile offshore drilling rig.
The rig was christened J Storm XVII by its sponsor, Mrs. Gino Giusti, wife of Dr. Gino Giusti, president of Texasgulf, Inc., Stamford, Conn. The multimillion-dollar rig has been under construction for nearly 10 months, and upon delivery will begin drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico for Texasgulf.
Sherman C. Perry, general manager of the Beaumont shipyard, said the rig was the seventh to be completed this year by the yard. The yard is currently working on a backlog of 10 similar rigs scheduled to be delivered over the next year and a half.
The J Storm XVII is a mat-supported jackup designed for deep-well drilling operations. On location, the rig will have a total variable drilling load capacity of 4.5 million pounds and handle hook or rotary plus setback loads of up to one million pounds.
The rig consists of a platform measuring 132 feet by 157 feet, supported by three 11-foot-diameter columns fixed to a mat that is 185 feet by 220 feet. Outfitted with deep-well drilling equipment, the rig can operate in water depths of up to 200 feet. The J Storm XVII contains onboard, air-conditioned living accommodations for 46 persons, including sleeping quarters, galley, laundry, recreation facilities, and a three-bed hospital room.
The J Storm XVII was designed and built to comply with the current safety standards of the United States Coast Guard plus the American Bureau of Shipping rules for the construction of mobile offshore drilling units.
From left: Dr. Gino Giusti, Mrs. James C. Storm, James C. Storm, Sherman Perry, and Mrs. Gino Giusti, sponsor.