Giant drilling rig heads to Kishorn
When the Ninian Central oil production platform was towed out of Loch Kishorn in May 1978, at just over 600,000 tonnes, it was the largest concrete structure ever moved across the face of the earth.
More than 40 years later, another giant of the oil and gas industry is due to arrive at Kishorn at the beginning of this month.
Kishorn Port Ltd (KPL) has landed its first major contract and the yard that produced the super-sized Ninian platform will now host a visit by the largest semi-submersible offshore drilling rig in the world, the Ocean GreatWhite.
Owned by Diamond Offshore, a global offshore drilling contractor, the Ocean GreatWhite weighs in at 60,800 tonnes and is a sixth generation harsh environment drilling rig capable of drilling down to 10,000m in 3,000m of water. With a draft of more than 23 metres, the rig needs deep water for anchoring and Loch Kishorn provides ideal sheltered conditions.
The Ocean GreatWhite has made her way from Singapore, via Las Palmas in the Canaries over the last five months assisted by the Alp Defender, a large ocean-going offshore supply vessel.
The rig is destined to start a drilling contract in the North Sea early in 2019. The Ocean GreatWhite will not be drilling whilst at Kishorn. During its time there, it will be made ready for its drilling programme with Corpach based Ferguson Transport and Shipping providing marine agency and stevedoring support.
Alasdair Ferguson, a director of KPL, recently visited the rig in Las Palmas and commented: ‘I couldn’t fail to be impressed by the sheer scale of the Ocean GreatWhite. We hope the berthing and support to the rig at Kishorn will herald a new era of engagement in the oil and gas industry at Kishorn.’
KPL, a joint venture between and Leiths (Scotland) Limited and Ferguson Transport and Shipping, was created in 2008 to promote the regeneration of the Kishorn Yard and dry dock as for the manufacturing of renewable energy components, decommissioning and support to the North Sea oil and gas sector.
The yard and the dry dock were very busy in the early years of the North Sea oil and gas boom, employing more than 3,000 people and generating a huge contribution to the Highlands economy.
Howard Doris, the yard operators, finally succumbed to insolvency in 1988 and the yard lay largely dormant until 1992, when the dry dock was resurrected to enable the casting of the two 2,500-tonne concrete caissons that support the Skye Bridge.
KPL secured a comprehensive masterplan permission in 2013 and have been promoting the yard and its unique dry dock for use by the renewables and oil and gas sectors for the last five years following significant investments in site infrastructure.