Aker Solutions' Aker H-6e Sets Sail for Norway

Aker Solutions

The hull substructure for the world's most advanced drilling rig, Aker Barents, has started on its 50-day journey from Dubai to Stord in Norway. Weighing 16,000 tonnes, equaling 16,000 cars, this is one of the largest drilling rigs to be towed. The hull is constructed by Aker Solutions at Drydocks World's Dubai yard and will be towed to Aker Solutions' yard at Stord, situated on the west coast of Norway. There it will be assembled with the topside facility and subject to further construction work prior to delivery.

The 120 meter long hull will be towed through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea, passing the western coasts of Spain and France, entering the North Sea before it reaches its final destination at Stord on the Norwegian west coast late May/early June.

Aker Solutions has designed and is building two H-6e drilling rigs - the latest-generation of semi-submersible platforms. The H-6e rigs have been specially designed to conquer the challenges of deepwater drilling operations in harsh environments.

H-6e rigs can drill in water depths up to 3,000 meters deep, with a maximum drill string length of 10,000 meters. Drilling operations are mainly conducted within enclosed areas of the topside facilities, for safe, year-round operations. Exposed operating and inspection areas are shielded from wind and water, and a variety of heating systems compensate for arctic-weather conditions. The H-6e hulls provide enhanced stability, so that drilling can continue in weather conditions that would require other rig designs to shut down.

The H-6e rig is the successor to the world's most widely proven semisubmersible drilling rig design: Aker Solutions' H3 and H4 rigs, which continue to demonstrate over 30 years of excellent performance around the world. In addition to drilling rigs, Aker Solutions has delivered some of the most advanced and sophisticated field production semisubmersibles in the world, the most recent example is the Kristin platform delivered to StatoilHydro.


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