PARAMARIBO — The advanced drilling platform Noble Discoverer is preparing for a large-scale, three-year drilling campaign in block 58 off the coast of Suriname in Curaçao’s Caracas Bay. The giant platform is currently moored for crucial preparations, including resupply and maintenance.
Mooring the Noble Discoverer at one of the deep-sea berths in Curaçao was a feat of great work for local pilots and tugboats. The DSS-21 type platform, built in 2009 by Keppel FELS in Singapore, is designed to drill in ultra-deep waters up to over three thousand meters.
“Due to the emerging oil extraction in Suriname and neighboring country Guyana, Curaçao is increasingly functioning as the maritime and logistics hub of the region”
Crew replacement
The maximum drilling depth is no less than twelve kilometers. The platform offers accommodation for up to 180 crew members. The vessel, which flies the flag of the Marshall Islands and was previously known as the Maersk Discoverer, was under contract to Petrobras until last August for drilling activities off the coast of Colombia.
In Curaçao, the behemoth is now undergoing the change of heavy propulsion components, fuel bunkering and crew replacement. Due to the emerging oil extraction in Suriname and neighboring country Guyana, Curaçao is increasingly functioning as the maritime and logistics hub of the region. After completing the work on the island, the Noble Discoverer sets sail for Suriname.
Block 58
Oil multinational TotalEnergies has contracted the platform for a three-year program in the promising block 58. Huge oil and gas reserves have been discovered in this area in recent years. The long-term drilling campaign that the platform will carry out here is a crucial step in the preparation for actual Surinamese offshore oil production.
The contract that the Noble Corporation has concluded with TotalEnergies for its activities off the Surinamese coast is worth 753 million US dollars. In addition, a collective performance bonus has been agreed that could increase total revenue by an additional US$297 million, depending on operational performance. In other words, the job could bring in more than 1 billion US dollars for the American giant.
