Photo by JSC Gazprom Shelfproekt
The drilling rig was towed on the Northern Sea Route along eight Arctic seas and part of the Pacific Ocean
The voyage of the Russian flagged SSDR Severnoye Siyaniye (Northern Lights) semi-submersible drilling rig has been completed. The drilling rig was delivered from the Port of Murmansk to Primorsky Krai based Sokolovskaya Bay, IAA PortNews reports citing Gazprom Shelfproekt, a Gazprom’s offshore oil and gas projects competence center.
During voyage along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) the Severnoye Siyaniye was assisted by several tugs. The route length was 5901 nautical miles. After arrival the SSDR was anchored in Sokolovskaya Bay.
The following tugs performed the facility towing: “Saturn” and “Neptune”, “Kazanin Explorer” and “Aleut”, Gazprom Shelfproekt said.
The Gazprom owned SSDR Severnoye Siyaniye is a sixth generation self-propelled drilling rig with two pontoons and six stabilizing columns supporting the top structure. The SSDR has a displacement of 59,260 tonnes and a crew of 78 people.
The Severnoye Siyaniye and its sister vessel Polyarnaya Zvezda (Polar Star) were built at Vyborg Shipyard (part of USC) and launched in 2011. The offshore drilling rig is capable of exploration and production drilling of gas and oil wells to 7500 m deep at sea depths in the range of 70 to 500 m in 70-cm-thick broken ice.
Key particulars: length of the top structure: 85 m, width: 73 m, height to the top of the tower: 128 m, height to the upper deck: 45.2 m, pontoon length: 119 m, width: 17 m, height: 10 m, propulsion main engine rated power: 32 MW.