China builds largest offshore drilling rig

China builds largest offshore drilling rig

Source: www.chinamining.org     Citation: Global Times         Date: March 6, 2017

China has broken the world record again by building the largest offshore ultra-deep water drilling platform, which is also able to drill to the deepest depths of the sea, China Central Television reported. 

The semi-submersible drilling platform named Blue Whale 1 was manufactured by Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Limited (CIMC Raffles). It weighs 42,000 tons with a deck as large as a standard soccer field. 

At a height of 118 meters, equal to a 37-story building, the platform cost $700 million. 

The platform has a maximum operating depth of 3,658 meters and a maximum drilling depth of 15,240 meters respectively, the greatest operating and drilling depth in the world. It can operate in deep-sea operations across the world, CIMC Raffles says on its website. Its electric cable has a pull extension length of 1.2 million meters. 

It is the first "turn-key project," which is completed and can be sold to any buyer, by a Chinese shipbuilder in the ultra-deep water field. 

Blue Whale 1 was named and delivered to its project owner based in Yantai, a port city of East China`s Shandong Province on February 13. 

The platform will be jointly operated by Blue Whale and CNPC Offshore Engineering Co. Ltd for ocean energy exploration according to a previously signed service agreement between the two sides.

About CHINA MINING

Since first held in 1999, the scope and influence of CHINA MINING has grown rapidly year by year. As a global mining summit forum and exhibition, CHINA MINING Congress and Expo has become one of the world’s top mining events, and one of the world’s largest mining exploration, development and trading platforms, covering all aspects of the whole mining industry chain, including geological survey, exploration and development, mining rights trading, mining investment and financing, smelting and processing, mining techniques and equipment, mining services, etc. playing an active promotion role in creating exchange opportunities and enhancing mutual cooperation between domestic and foreign mining enterprises.

CHINA MINING Congress and Expo 2013 will be held at Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin on November 2-5, 2013. We invite you to join the event and to celebrate the 15th anniversary of CHINA MINING with us. For more information about CHINA MINING 2013, please visit: www.chinaminingtj.org.