March, 2005 • MarineNews 7
News
Keppel Wins $85M
Rig Upgrade
Keppel FELS Ltd., a unit of Keppel
Corporation Limited through Keppel Off-
shore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), has
secured a contract from Diamond Off-
shore Services Company, a subsidiary of
Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (Dia-
mond Offshore), to upgrade the semisub-
mersible rig Ocean Endeavor for $85 mil-
lion. Completion of the upgrade is sched-
uled for fourth quarter 2006.
Ocean Endeavor will be capable of
drilling down to 35,000 ft. and will be
fully outfitted for 8,000 ft. moored opera-
tions, with design capabilities to operate
in up to 10,000 ft. of water. In addition,
the rig will have increased crew quarters
to accommodate up to 140 personnel,
over 6,000 tons of operating variable deck
load and increased usable deck space.
Larry Dickerson, President & COO of
Diamond Offshore, said, "Keppel FELS
comes with a proven track record of con-
sistently delivering complicated upgrades
on time and on budget.
"We chose their yard because of the
expertise and experience they demonstrat-
ed in the previous upgrades of our Victo-
ry-class semisubmersibles Ocean
Baroness and Ocean Rover.
"We are pleased to once again be
embarking with them on a major rig
upgrade."
"Diamond's rigs are sent regularly to
our yards around the world, including
Singapore, USA and Brazil, for mainte-
nance, repair and upgrading. We also per-
form onsite servicing for them," said Tong
Chong Heong, Managing Director &
Chief Operating Officer of Keppel O&M,
said. "Diamond and Keppel project teams
work closely on all projects, from the ini-
tial planning to final execution stages.
Such close partnership has helped to pro-
duce synergy and understanding, as well
as some of Keppel's finest works."
Bay-Houston Towing
Buys Tractor Tug
Bay-Houston Towing Co. has pur-
chased the tractor tug C-TRACTOR 1
from Alpha Marine Services. The tug,
which will be renamed the William M,
will be based in Corpus Christi, TX. The
William M is a true tractor design, with
the Ulstein drive units located forward.
This allows the twin EMD 16-645
engines to generate 110,000 pounds of
bollard pull both ahead and astern. The
William M is 102 ft. long, has a beam of
37 ft., and a working draft of 17 ft..
The tug was built in 1989 at North
American Shipbuilding.
The William M has considerable fire
fighting capability; it can pump 3500 gal-
lons per minute through fore and aft fire
fighting monitors. This ability compli-
ments the Port of Corpus Christi fireboat
and helps to extend fire protection in the
port to Ingleside, La Quinta, and Harbor
Island..
Conrad Adds to
Management Team
Conrad Industries, Inc. has appointed
Terry T. Frickey as Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer, effective imme-
diately. Frickey will report to the Chief
Executive Officer and have overall
responsibility for the operations of the
Company's four shipyards. "We are excit-
ed to have Terry join our executive team,"
said Johnny Conrad, Conrad's President
and Chief Executive Officer. "Terry has
been involved in the shipyard business
since 1971 in various management capac-
ities including General Manager, Manag-
er of Operations and President and Chief
Executive Officer. Most recently, Terry
was Vice-President and General Manager
of the Bollinger Houston shipyard and
Manager of Repair Operations for the
LEEVAC Industries Repair Group.
From 1991 to 1994 he was President of
Service Marine Industries, Inc. in Morgan
City, La. He served as Chairman of the
Shipbuilders Council of America in
2001." Cecil A. Hernandez, the current
Executive Vice-President and Chief Oper-
ating Officer and interim Chief Financial
Officer will become Executive Vice-Pres-
ident and Chief Financial Officer.
Additionally, Richard D. Allen has
joined the company as Assistant Opera-
tions manager. "We are pleased to have
Richard join our team," said Mr. Conrad
"Richard brings over 39 years of shipyard
experience in various capacities starting
" Q S P V E N F N C F S P G U I F - P D L I F F E . B S U J O 5 F B N
U P C V J M E U I F / B W Z T - J U U P S B M $ P N C B U 4 I J Q
0 O D B M M X J U I U F D I O P M P H Z
0 R I N C I P A L # O U R T 3 U I T E # # H E S A P E A K E 6 !
F A X
W W W F D G M C O M
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