VIDEO: Saipem’s Scarabeo 9 rig crosses Bosphorus

Saipem’s Scarabeo 9 semi-submersible offshore drilling rig has crossed the Bosphorus Strait for the fourth time in its history.

The semi-sub’s fourth time to cross the Bosphorus Strait played out on 13 April 2020, according to the rig owner’s statement on Tuesday.

The Scarabeo 9 crossed the Bosphorus strait passing under three Istanbul bridges connecting the two sides of the city.

According to Saipem, the operation is always a great challenge, from both technical and logistical aspects.

The ultra-deepwater drilling rig left the Romanian Black Sea after months of operation there, heading to a shipyard to perform maintenance works in view of new jobs in the months to come.

The Scarabeo 9 Master, Antonino Iaccarino, commented: “Crossing the Bosphorus with the rig almost touching the bridges is always a great emotion for me and my crew, well aware of belonging to a great company capable of extraordinary enterprises”.