Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.8
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Installation of the upgrades has begun on the Maersk Intrepid hybrid rig and is expected to be finished in 2020, Maersk Drilling, a drilling rig operator based in Copenhagen, Denmark, told Trend.
“The upgrades combine the use of hybrid power with low levels of NOx emissions, adding data intelligence to further reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions. In addition, we have recently announced that the Maersk Integrator will receive the same upgrades to become our second hybrid, low-emission rig,” said the company.
As for the possibility of using that rig in the Caspian Sea, the company said this is highly unlikely due to the challenge of moving the rig to the Caspian Sea, plus the operational requirements of the Caspian which this type of jack-up rig is not the best match for.
The hybrid rig is Maersk Drilling’s ambitious target for the ultra-harsh environment jack-up rig Maersk Intrepid which is entering a series of upgrades to convert it to a hybrid rig with low levels of NOx emissions, adding data intelligence to further reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
The upgrades are being carried out in cooperation with Maersk Intrepid’s current customer, Equinor, which has introduced compensation formats to stimulate emission reductions.
Maersk Drilling has successfully applied for project funding through the NOx Fund, a Norwegian industry fund dedicated to reducing NOx emissions.
The fund is contributing a grant of up to 80 percent of project costs, subject to verification of the emission-reducing upgrades, and has high hopes for the coming upgrades of Maersk Intrepid which it sees as a benchmark for the offshore industry.
Maersk Drilling is a drilling rig operator based in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a subsidiary of the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group, established in 1972.
Maersk Drilling is a leading offshore drilling operator, working everywhere from the North Sea to Ghana to Timor-Leste. It is increasingly providing third-party services and partnering with its customers on innovative technologies and new commercial models. Together, the company is reducing the complexity, cost, and risk of drilling campaigns to improve the competitiveness of offshore oil and gas for its customers.
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