ABS, the leading provider of classification services to the global offshore industry, continues to improve construction and integration timeliness with the completion of the Rowan Reliance ultra-deepwater drillship. This newbuild, the third in a series for global offshore drilling contractor Rowan Companies, was built in the Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) yard in Ulsan, South Korea. It joins sister ships Rowan Renaissance and Rowan Resolute as the next high-specification drillship to earn the ABS Integrated Software Quality Management (ISQM) notation, ABS said in its press release.
“ABS is an industry leader in recognizing the importance of integrated software quality management,” says ABS Chairman, President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki. “Our engineers developed a process for verifying software programs – including their integration – and have been working for several years with Rowan Companies and HHI on a four-vessel newbuild drillship program employing ISQM. The most recent delivery is a testimony not only to the process but to the strength of our relationships.”
The move toward automation on offshore facilities has allowed drilling and production systems to work much more efficiently. But the introduction of complex integrated control systems introduces the challenge of making sure the many pieces of software that enable efficient operations are able to maintain reliable communications.
ISQM addresses this challenge by providing a framework for coordinating and controlling the way software development, integration and maintenance are managed throughout the life of the equipment.
“ABS is the only class society that has classed drilling equipment and other essential marine equipment with a software notation that addresses software quality during construction, at delivery and into operations,” says Paul Walters, ABS Manager.
Rowan Companies is a first mover among drilling contractors in applying a structured software quality management approach. Rowan Senior Manager of Electrical Control Systems Celestino Puentes says, “We are pleased to pioneer the process and work with ABS on the development of ISQM.”
HHI is unique in its hands-on experience with ISQM, a capability that sets it apart from other yards. “Working with ABS and Rowan Companies on this project has allowed HHI to develop a knowledge base that allows us to offer experience with a new process that will benefit not only Rowan but other clients that choose to take advantage of the ISQM process,” says Sang-Sik Yoon, ISQM Team Leader, HHI.
HHI will follow the ISQM process in the construction of the final drillships in the four-unit series, the Rowan Relentless, which is to be completed in 2Q 2015.
About ABS
Founded in 1862, ABS is a leading international classification society devoted to promoting the security of life, property and the marine environment through the development and verification of standards for the design, construction and operational maintenance of marine-related facilities.