The first MCV, ‘Eagle Texas’left the Dubai shipyard in August last year.
Drydocks World converted the tanker for AET, which has signed a 20-year agreement with Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC) for the operation of the two MCVs.
MWCC is a consortium of 10 oil companies - ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, ConocoPhillips, Anadarko, Shell, Apache, Statoil , BHP Billiton, Hess. They are all involved in deepwater drilling in the US Gulf of Mexico.
The MCVs will operate as normal Aframaxes in the US GoM and will be outfitted and deployed for containment services in the event of a deepwater well control incident in the region.
“We have once again proven our exemplary project management capabilities, engineering solutions, commitment to the industry and the drive to face challenges in delivering pioneering projects with world leaders like AET and MWCC,” said HE Khamis Juma Buamim, chairman of Drydocks World & Maritime World. “This is a pioneering project. A newly-fabricated subsea containment assembly will attach to risers and other containment equipment to direct the flow of fluids to the MCVs for processing and storage.
“This accomplishment also represents two million man-hours without a single Lost Time Injury, which together with the four million man-hours on ‘Eagle Texas’ is quite an outstanding achievement,” he claimed.
The shipyard’s installed various components, such as four retractable azimuth thrusters, one tunnel bow thruster, new machinery spaces, diesel generator sets and associated tanks, auxiliaries, switchboards and electrical distribution equipment.
The main engine was also modified for controllable pitch propeller (CPP) operation and a control system was added for dynamic positioning, power management and equipment monitoring. Structural support stools and foundations were added for the future installation of topsides processing modules, a turret, flare tower, communications equipment, control facilities and other miscellaneous equipment.
The amount of steel used for the ‘Eagle Louisiana’ conversion was 2,530 tonnes with 19.68 km of pipes and electrical cables of 292 km also used. Each MCV will be able to store 700,000 barrels of oil and will process, store and offload the oil to shuttle tankers.