GALLERY: Transocean’s rig set to start drilling off Japan

Transocean’s M.G. Hulme Jr. semi-submersible drilling rig has reached South Korea following a trip from Labuan in Malaysia.

Captain Neil Johnston, Master aboard the Terasea Falcon deepsea tug was kind enough to share the above images with Offshore Energy Today.

The photos show the rig anchoring with the help of Seawork 121 vessel, offshore Pusan, South Korea on Monday, May 9, 2016.

We asked Captain Johnston about the trip from Labuan, and he said: “The trip went off well enough; the biggest problem was avoiding close encounters with Chinese fishing fleets. The weather was generally good, just a bit breezy off Taiwan.”

Offshore Energy Today has learned that the rig is expected to leave Pusan and go to its offshore drilling location, some 150 miles further around May 13.

The rig will be used by Inpex in a location offshore Yamaguchi and Shimane prefectures in Japan, where in 2011, the Japanese government conducted a geophysical survey from the seismic survey vessel Shigen as part of its domestic oil and natural gas exploration project, and where INPEX conducted a 3D geophysical survey in 2013 based on the earlier survey.

The aim of the project, should it unearth viable quantities of hydrocarbons, is to decrease Japan’s dependence on energy imports.

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Offshore Energy Today Staff