Blue Whale One works for CNOOC at South China Sea

Recently, Blue Whale One, a drilling rig as the pillar of the national, has arrived at the working area of South China Sea to provide drilling service for China National Offshore Oil Corporation (Zhanjiang). 

China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) is the largest offshore oil and gas producer in China and assumes the responsibility to safeguard the national energy security. It sets South China Sea as a major area for the exploration and mining of offshore oil and gas and has developed deep sea development strategy. CNOOC and CIMC will make joint efforts to exploit oil and gas resources at South China Sea and provide strong protection for the national energy security.

South China Seas boosts abundant oil and gas resources, but it is one of the most complicated and special marine environments in the world. The frequently occurring typhoon sets imposes higher requirements for the stability of oil and gas mining equipment. Previously, Blue Whale One, worked for China’s first test mining of flammable ice at Shenhu Area of South China Sea. During the mining, it was struck by the sudden and unexpected typhoon Merbok, but it continued to work normally. In the end, it made the records of the longest unstopped extraction of gas and the largest output of extracted gas.

Blue Whale One was designed and built by CIMC Raffles. With length of 117m, width of 92.7m, height of 118m, maximum operating depth of 3,658m and maximum drilling depth of 15,250m, it is capable of performing deepsea operations across the world; with the world leading DP3 close bus-tie power management system, it can withstand the attack of typhoon and ocean current. Blue Whale One is a semi-submersible drilling platform with the greatest operating depth and drilling depth in the world, and it represents the world’s highest ocean drilling rig design and construction levels. After its contribution to China’s successful test mining of “flammable ice” for the first time, Blue Whale One continues its journey to exploit resources at South China Sea.