The Drilling Rig and Its Crew

Types of Rigs
Onshore or land rigs
Offshore rigs

Barges
Drilling Tenders
Platforms
Jack-ups
Semisubmersibles
Drillships

Land Rigs

Cantilever mast most common arrangement

Portable mast usually mounted on trucks that
incorporate the hoisting machinery, engines and
derrick as a single unit

Land Rigs

Land Rigs

Drilling Barges
Mobile, flat bottomed shallow draft vessels
Used for drilling in swampy or shallow coastal
waters (8-20 ft)
West African river deltas, US Gulf Coast,
Maracaibo, Kalimantan
Limited stability and can be used in very calm
waters
Need utility barges because of limited storage space

Drilling Barges

Drilling Tenders

Non-self-propelled barges or semisubmersibles

Moored alongside a platform
Derrick equipment on platform
Allows less costly platforms to be used for
development

Drilling Tenders

Platforms

Fixed-bottom or rigid rigid structures extend from the seabed to all the way above the
surface of the water
Steel jacket or concrete gravity (CGS)
Floating float near the water surface
Tension leg (TLP), Spar

Type of Platforms
Type of
Platform

Connection to Seabed

Fixed-bottom Piles
Gravity
Floating

Tethers
Catenary mooring lines
Single Point Mooring
(SPM)

Example
Steel jacket
Concrete Gravity Structure
(CGS)
Tension Leg Platform (TLP)
Semi-submersible, Spar
Ship-shaped vessel (FPSO)

Platforms

Jack-ups
Mobile selfelevating rigs
equipped with long
support legs
Designed to drill in
<350 ft of water
Very stable

Jack-ups (NEW)
Spud cans xxxxxx

Semisubmersibles
Have a water ballasting system
that can partially submerge its
vertical stabilizing columns
Anchor-moored or
dynamically positioned
Can operate in water depths of
up to 6000 ft.
Operational depth limited by
mooring equipment and riser
handling capacity
Can work in harsh
environments like the North
Sea

Semisubmersibles

A Word On Dynamic Positioning

Dynamic Positioning is a technique used on floaters utilizing large

computer-controlled on-board propulsion units (pitch propellers or
thrusters) controlled by a satellite navigation system to maintain the
position of a vessel with respect to a point on the seabed
Range of weather conditions is limited
Generally not used in water depths of less than 3000 ft
Because of large fuel consumption it is only economically feasible in
the ff circumstances:
Frequent location changes are required
Anchor lengths required are excessive (>3000 ft)

Drillships
Capable of drilling in
very deep water (>6000
ft)
Offer greater mobility
than a semi or jack-up
Greater storage facilities
Anchor-moored or
dynamically positioned
Limited to areas where
wave action is not severe

Keyway
The keyway is the opening on an inland
barge or offshore jackup in which the
drilling operations are performed.

Moonpool
The hole through a floater or semisubmersible structure is which the drilling
operations are performed.

Rig Setup

Rig Crew
Offshore Installation Manager (OIM) (for offshore rigs
only)
Rig Superintendent or Day Toolpusher
Night Toolpusher
Drillers
Assistant Drillers
Derrickman
Motorman
Roughnecks

Rig Crew

Roustabouts
Electricians
Mechanics
Crane Operator
Catering Crew

Driller

Derrickman

Roughneck

End of Topic