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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 Circle 220 on Reader Service Card MN MARCH05 1(1-8).qxd 3/4/2005 11:35 AM Page 7
