Timing is all-important when repairs to a busy drillship are the order of the day. When Pacific International Drilling West Africa’s (PIDWAL) drillship Pacific Bora suffered damage to the starboard aft hull off the coast of Nigeria, PIDWAL called for assistance from the Harris Pye Engineering Group.
The repair was successfully evaluated; all necessary specialists and labor, steel, tools and equipment were mobilized; and the repair was made, installed, painted and tested in less than two weeks of the Harris Pye team boarding the Pacific Bora (“PBA”).
The Harris Pye team of one supervisor and three highly trained specialist tradesmen boarded the rig on 3 May offshore Nigeria, and sailed with it to the calm waters offshore Malabo, Equatorial Guinea where the work was successfully undertaken, and the Harris Pye crew disembarked on May 16.
“We studied the repair scope, and put together a method statement to perform the repair work while the rig is afloat to avoid any dry docking and other cofferdam and divers cost, in order to bring the PBA back to 100 percent operability in under two weeks,” explains Chris David, Chief Technical Officer, of the global engineering group.
“PIDWAL had put together a task risk assessment for trimming the rig by forward, to maintain the dented portion 2.1m above water to enable us to proceed with the repair. They also provided all tools and consumables for the repair works, including the overhanging/ overboard scaffolding, so there were no delays due to customs holdups. The steel plate and rubbing bar for the repair were purchased by Harris Pye UK; and freight was handled by PIDWAL.
“Our scope of work gives an idea of just how exacting a project of this kind can be, and how vital it is to have a good working relationship with the client and their crew. We undertook to: