Opportunities to improve the operational and technical management of jack-up deployments

Abstract In a 9-month period in 2002, two jack-up drilling units on contract to Shell Group operating companies suffered leg damage whilst performing cantilevered drilling operations over company assets. These two events came against a back drop of other incidents, which included jack-up collapses in the Gulf of Mexico and the Persian Gulf. The prevalence of these incidents indicated that some of the control measures necessary for the successful deployment of a jack-up drilling unit were not in place. A review of the procedures used to contract a rig and the operational controls when on-hire, are described. Opportunities to improve the contractual, operational and technical management of jack-up deployments are identified.