The Tam Dao 05 jack-up rig is launched in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. — VNS Photo

The drilling rig is manufactured by the Petro Viet Nam Marine Shipyard Joint Stock Company (PV Shipyard).

"The rig manufacturing has contributed to 46 per cent of national engineering and marked Viet Nam as one of ten nations in the world that can build a 90m water depth offshore mobile self-elevating drilling rig," Deputy Primer Minister Hoang Trung Hai delivered his speech at the launching ceremony.

"This is the biggest contract we have already signed with local contractors," Tu Thanh Nghia, general director of Vietso Petro, investor of the Tam Dao 05 drilling rig said.

"The Tam Dao 05 self-elevating drilling rig is the most modern ones in comparison with four existing self-elevating drilling rig that Vietso Petro has had," he added.

Tam Dao 05 is expected to start operation by October 2016.

At weight of 18,000 tonnes, the 120m water depth offshore mobile self-elevating drilling rig had been designed under the US-based Friede and Goldman's JU-200E model. It can drill to oil mine at a depth of 9,000 metres. The rig is 167 m long and has a loading capacity of nearly 3,000 tonnes.

The drilling rig is designed to suffer the most severe environmental impacts and can safely work at the most serious level of storm.

This is the second self-elevating drilling rig made by PV Shipyard for Vietso Petro. The Tam Dao 3 self-elevating drilling rig was the first and had been come into operation by 2012.

The Tam Dao 5 is 1.5 times bigger than Tam Dao 3 drilling rig.

The most complicated works, including keel lying, legs erection, main engine installation have been successfully completed.

PV Shipyard used skidding method, the most modern transport method that is first time applied in Viet Nam to move the huge drilling rig.

In launching process, the drilling rig was moved by strand jack from construction site to barges. Barges were moved 10 km away from land and then were float-off to release the drilling rig.

The operation of new rig will create new initiative for Petro Viet Nam to develop and minimize the hire of such services from foreign constructors.

This orientation helps Petro Viet Nam strengthen its position in international market and contribute partly to the goal of national energy security.

In 2007, PV Shipyard was established, specializing in construction, repair and conversion of diversified types of mobile offshore drilling rigs, such as jack-up (self-elevating), semi-submerged, drilling vessels and superstructures. Its products chain also extends to a wide range of floating offshore facilities. — VNS