Court upholds RMRS decision to suspend class of Kolskaya jack-up rig
The Arbitration Court of Appeal of Murmansk region has dismissed the "Arcticmorneftegasrazvedka," lawsuit, which required to recognize the actions of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping action to revoke the class the Kolskaya jack-up drilling rig (owned by Arcticmorneftegasrazvedka), which sank in December 2011.
The court press office said that as the drilling rig was towed by the owner outside the oil field, the facility sank at a depth of over 1,000 meters, while the projected maximum depth, prescribed by safety rules for towing operations of such facilities, was set at 100 meters. The vessel’s escort was carried out on the route, different from what was specified in the towing plan. The vessel was not certified to perform the single sailing. Taking into account all the mentioned above, the court ruled the classification society lawfully (the requirements of paragraph 2.1.6 of the Rules for Classification and Construction of vessels) suspended from December 11, 2011 the class of the Kolskaya jack-up rig.
The Kolskaya jack-up drilling rig capsized and sank off Russia's far eastern island of Sakhalin on Dec. 18, 2011 while being towed through a winter storm from Kamchatka to Sakhalin. Salvage teams rescued 14 people alive and recovered 11 bodies of total 67 workers who were onboard the facility.