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$425-Million Rig Expansion Program Announced By Sonat Sonat Inc. announced recently that its subsidiary, Sonat Offshore Drilling Inc., has entered into an agreement with the Daewoo Corpo- ration and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Heavy Machinery, Ltd. of Korea to build six semisubmersible drilling rigs for approximately $425 million. Following an initial delivery in the latter part of 1986, two of the six rigs are scheduled for delivery in 1987, and the remaining three will be delivered in subsequent years. This order is the largest ever made by Sonat Offshore Drilling Inc. and thought to be the largest single commitment ever made in the offshore contract drilling industry. The parties were assisted by Fearn- leys Group of Norway in developing this agreement. The rigs, which will be built with design assistance from Gotaverken Arendal AB (GVA), will be con- structed to drill in water depths up to 3,000 feet. "This is a major program to re- spond to anticipated market re- quirements," said Ronald L. Kuehn Jr., Sonat president and CEO. "These drilling rigs will offer far-reaching operating capabilities and the latest technology for deep- water drilling. We believe strongly that companies involved in the up- per end of the offshore drilling in- dustry with equipment capable of drilling in deep water and in harsh environments will be best posi- tioned for future growth, and we are clearly aiming at that segment of the industry." Sonat Offshore Drilling Inc., headquartered in Houston is one of the largest independent interna- tional offshore drilling contractors with a fleet of 21 marine units. Sonat Inc., headquartered in Bir- mingham, Ala., is a company en- gaged in finding and producing oil and natural gas, field services asso- ciated with oil and gas operations, and transportation of energy prod- ucts. Krupp MaK Reports On Sales Of M551/M552 Series Diesel Engines —Literature Available To date some 600 units of the Krupp MaK successful M551/M552 series diesel engines have been man- ufactured at the factory in Kiel, and another 35 engines have been pro- duced by the licensee UBE Indus- tries in Japan, with a total output of 3 million bhp. These engines have a bore of 450 mm and strokes of 550 mm (M551) and 520 (M552), with engine speeds of 425 and 500 rpm, respectively. The M551 is available in 6- and 8-cylinder configurations; the M552 is manufactured with 6, 8, 9, and 12 cylinders. Output is 780/835 bhp per cylinder. These engines are capable of burning fuels of up to 7,000 sec Redwood I at 100 F. Specific fuel consumption for today's economy version of the 8-cylinder engine is said to be 130 grams per brake horsepower hour (0.286 pounds per bhp). Two of this year's Outstanding Oceangoing Ships described in this issue, the LPG carriers Ledagas and Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II, are powered by these MaK engines. For further information and free literature on the M551/M552 se- ries, Circle 38 on Reader Service Card Keppel To Represent Conastii Shipyard In N.A. —Free Brochure Available Conastii Shipyard in Cartagena, Colombia, recently announced the appointment of Keppel Marine Agencies, Inc., with offices in New York and Houston, as its executive representative in North America. The Cartagena yard, a full-service repair facility, is conveniently lo- cated on the Carribean side of the Panama Canal. Its new Syncrolift system can accommodate ships of up to about 10,000 dwt. For more information including a descriptive brochure, Circle 28 on Reader Service Card 7 t ^ \ , Circle 114 on Reader Service Card December 1, 1984 35
