Lloyd's Register Extends Drilling Rig Integrity Support

Exploration begins by BHP Billiton (BHPLF) using the Deepwater Invictus rig and supported by Lloyd’s Register’s rig integrity team.

Lloyd’s Register (LR) announced it has extended rig integrity support for the Deepwater Invictus drilling rig. The company’s expertise in blow-out preventers (BOPs) and rig integrity will be used to provide confidence in how risk is managed for deepwater drilling and well exploration.

Kevin Comeau, Dynamic Positioning / Power Management & Marine Safety Systems Manager at LR, said, “We have had a team supporting the Gulf Of Mexico (GOM) drilling program on board Deepwater Invictus and it is this same team that has been requested for BHP Billiton’s drilling program in Trinidad. Although the core part of our work is on BOP operation, rig integrity and compliance, we will also provide expertise in performing inspections, risk assessments and training for personnel working on the rig.”

The BOP is often the final line of defense for protecting life and the environment and so there is high demand for a transparent and well-structured risk assessment approach that helps rig owners and operators to monitor the BOP’s safety performance.

A subsea BOP is a special system which is highly regulated and among one of the few pieces of equipment that combines multiple functions such as drilling and operations control, a tool for preventing risk and supporting emergency response procedures. BOPs were developed to cope with extreme erratic pressures and uncontrolled flows emanating from well reservoirs during drilling. These factors mean that simple component failures can cause drilling operators to be exposed to severe risk.

Before the market downturn, LR was reviewing more than 350 drilling rigs each year. The company has unmatched expertise in the provision of maintenance and asset management services, specifically designed to meet the needs of the drilling industry.

“As the industry looks to implement new, best-in-class offshore drilling operations, we believe we have a great deal to contribute to the conversation,” highlighted Comeau. “Developments in BOP underline that new technology is not a barrier. It is seen as the catalyst for better performing oil and gas sector and a competitive necessity among the key operators.

“Our work with BHP Billiton is a great example of how synergies between companies can lead to innovative risk and reliability work that help make the industry more reliable, better performing and safer.”

Deepwater Invictus was delivered in 2014 and is IMO registered vessel 9620592 with a gross tonnage of 68034. It has a rated drill depth of 40,000 ft. The continuation of support for the Trinidad drilling campaign with BHP started in May 2016.