Mating ceremony performed for the Frigstad Kristiansand ultra-deepwater drilling rig
The mating of the upper and lower hulls of the Frigstad Kristiansand was completed at the Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore shipyard in China.
The successful operation was marked at a ceremony in Yantai, in the presence of guests from China and abroad. At a weight in excess of 18,000 metric tons, the lifting operation is one of the heaviest lifts ever undertaken by a conventional crane and it is another demonstration of Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore’s capabilities and its development towards becoming a leading builder of state of the art offshore drilling rigs.
The event is also another important milestone for the Frigstad Group. The Frigstad Kristiansand is the second of two ultra-deepwater semi-submersible drilling units being built for Frigstad Deepwater, and the third rig of the Frigstad D90 design, developed by Frigstad Engineering. The first rig of the Frigstad D90 design was delivered in 2011 and is now operating offshore West Africa. The two rigs currently under construction are significantly larger than the first rig and the result of further advancement of the rig design and with increased specifications. The Frigstad Kristiansand is scheduled for delivery in Q2 2017, while the Frigstad Shekou is expected to be completed six months earlier, in Q4 of 2016. Both rigs are under Frigstad Offshore’s management.
In his speech addressing the guests at the ceremony, Mr Harald Frigstad commended the yard on the high quality of workmanship seen throughout the rig; a result of continuous improvement since the working relationship between the yard and Frigstad Group started more than 10 years ago and which continues to grow stronger, serving as a great foundation for further collaboration between the companies in the years to come.
