Doha: Gulf Drilling International Limited (GDIL), a subsidiary of Gulf International Services, the largest oilfield service company in Qatar, announced that the construction of a new Qatar-built liftboat is complete.
Al Safliya was under construction for the company at Nakilat’s ship repair and offshore construction joint venture, Nakilat-Keppel Offshore & Marine (N-KOM). It is expected to be commercially deployed at the Dolphin platform early next year. It is the first vessel in the country’s marine history to be built in Qatar, for a Qatari owner, and for use by Dolphin Energy Limited.
The investment represents another step in the growth of GDI’s diversified assets — its second liftboat and its third non-drilling jack-up.
GDI has entered into a long-term contract with Dolphin to provide accommodation and platform support. The vessel is self-propelled, has two deck cranes, accommodation and ancillary facilities for over 130 people. The customised liftboat is equipped with an open deck spread over 800sqm, a helideck and a gangway as a bridge to the customer’s platform. Al Safliya has been designed by Bennett Offshore, the naval architecture and marine engineering arm of Keppel Offshore & Marine, in collaboration with N-KOM.
Liftboats are more efficient and cost-effective alternatives to traditional offshore service vessels, as they can be mobilised without third party assistance. They can optimise operations since they are less affected by weather and provide a more stable work environment.
Mubarak A Al Hajri, CEO, GDI, said: “GDI is pleased to see progress in construction of the vessel. We are committed to providing world-class services to our long-term client Dolphin Energy as GDI will provide it with services of Al Safliya.” He praised Nakilat’s efforts for the project.
Engineer Abdullah Al Sulaiti, Managing Director, Nakilat, said: “Nakilat is proud of our place in the Qatari marine sector. Through our joint ventures, we have become synonymous with sea transport and ship repair and build-up at Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard in Ras Lafan Industrial City. Al Safliya is the latest example of Nakilat’s passion for working in Qatar as it has led to the achievement of two million safe man-hours on this milestone project in September. Following the successful completion of the liftboat, we are in the final stages of the project and on track to deliver the liftboat to GDI at the end of this year in a safe and timely manner.”
QNA
