Esbjerg Port Becomes Important Hub for Upgrade and Repair of Drilling Rigs

Two years after the establishment of Semco Maritime’s new rig yard at the port of Esbjerg, Esbjerg has developed into an important international hub for upgrade and repair of drilling rigs in the North Sea.

The activity is high at yard in Esbjerg, where about 100 people are engaged in the service and upgrade of the drilling rig GSF Monarch owned by the global offshore rig operator Transocean. The upgrade of the jack-up rig includes installation of new cranes and other equipment before the rig will resume its operation in the UK sector of the North Sea.

The project, which amounts to approx. 50 million kroner, strengthens Semco Maritime’s strong position within rig projects. Two years ago Semco Maritime established new yard facilities at the Port of Esbjerg. This has developed into one of the main hubs when drilling rigs from the North Sea require service, upgrade, rebuild and repair work. Over the past two years a total of nine drilling rigs have visited the yard.

 Delivery on time

”This is partly because Esbjerg is well placed geographically in relation to the oil and gas activities in large parts of the North Sea. With our one-stop facilities and extensive experience we are able to handle all kinds of projects and to solve the tasks quickly and on time. These are important competitive parameters on the market” says Hans-Peter Jørgensen, Senior Vice President, Semco Maritime.

”Although there are not many drilling rigs in the Danish part of the North Sea, which require service or repair this year, we manage continuously to attract new projects to Esbjerg from other parts of the North Sea”, says Hans-Peter Jørgensen.

 Record busy 2012

In the past three years Semco Maritime has experienced high growth within rig projects where the turnover has doubled from year to year. Last year the rig division reached a turnover of 725 million kroner after a record high activity with projects e.g. in Esbjerg, Norway and Vietnam. Esbjerg Port’s customer list comprises operators as Transocean, Ensco, Maersk, Northern Offshore and Prosafe.

“This year we do not have the same explosive growth as we had last year, but the market outlook for rig projects is still good and we have several major projects in the pipeline e.g. in Esbjerg”, says Hans-Peter Jørgensen.

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Esbjerg, September 24, 2013