Deep Sea Mooring (DSM) has won the contract to provide a comprehensive range of mooring services to Maersk Drilling for its sixth generation, semi-submersible drilling rig Maersk Discoverer.

DSM will now design, engineer and install the mooring system for the advanced rig.

“This is the first time we’ve worked with Maersk Drilling and the first time we’ve undertaken operations in Egypt,” comments Åge Straume, CEO of Deep Sea Mooring.

“So, it’s a very significant contract for us and allows us to demonstrate how our extensive experience of installing mooring systems in the harsh environment of the North Sea can be transferred to new territories.”

DSM will take the project from conception to completion – designing the complete mooring spread, defining operational procedures, mobilising and demobilising all equipment in both Norway and Egypt, pre-installing the anchors prior to rig arrival, and hooking up the rig when it arrives on location.

“This is a complex assignment,” Straume states, “with water depths of 930m entailing high loads and a need to design a robust, high-quality and streamlined mooring solution. It’s the kind of challenge our experienced team thrive on and one we’ve successfully tackled for leading players in the energy industry, such as Statoil, in the North Sea, and Husky Energy, off the coast of Newfoundland. It’s exciting to be given the opportunity to showcase our expertise with a new client of A.P Moeller-Maersk’s standing.”

In addition, Bergen-headquartered DSM will provide all base operations and personnel for the mooring and hook-up task. Once in place, Maersk Discoverer, a GustoMSC DSS 21 rig capable of drilling to 10,000m, will work its Egyptian prospect for BP.