Mohamed Abdulrahman Al-Bahar, the authorised Cat® dealer for the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar, recently completed the commissioning of integrated power solutions for the first of the two new offshore jack-up rigs building projects executed by Lamprell, the UAE-based rig builder and provider of services to the international energy sector.
Lamprell had turned to Al-Bahar for Cat® generator sets after the company received a letter of intent from the International Maritime Industries (IMI) in December 2018 for the construction and delivery of two Jack Up drilling rigs, based on the proven LeTourneau Super 116E Self-elevating Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) design.
When the first order was formalised in January 2020, for Lamprell by IMI, Caterpillar and Al-Bahar were ready with the customised solution required for each rig.
This included five Cat® 3516C generator sets rated 1530 ekw / 2186 kVA/ 60 Hz / 600 V / 0.7 pf / 3 phase / 1200 rpm, which will be used as a primary source of power. In addition to these five units, a single Cat® 3512C generator set with a rating of 1310 ekw / 1637 kVA/ 60 Hz / 480 V / 0.8 pf / 3 phase / 1800 rpm, was installed for emergency power.
The primary challenge was the project timeline, which was demanding and coincided with the onset of the COVID pandemic, bringing in uncertainty and newer norms.
Presently, the project status is on the final lap. Installation, start-up, setting to work, and testing have already been completed on the first rig, and the second rig is being worked upon currently.
Commenting on the successful completion of the project, Mr. Mohamed El Kaddour, Vice President of Energy & Transportation – Al-Bahar, stated, “As one of the authorised Caterpillar dealers in the region, Mohamed Abdulrahman Al-Bahar is proud to be a trusted and valued partner to Lamprell in their rig building programs of offshore jack-up rigs. This mutually beneficial relationship has been nurtured ever since Lamprell built their first rig in 2008 and we hope will extend in the future.”
