''Discoverer Enterprise'' is a fifth generation deepwater
double hulled
A double hull is a ship hull design and construction method where the bottom and sides of the ship have two complete layers of watertight hull surface: one outer layer forming the normal hull of the ship, and a second inner hull which is some dist ...
dynamically positioned drillship (
ASTANO FPSO design) owned and operated by
Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc., capable of operating in moderate environments and water depths up to 3,049 m (10,000 ft) using an , 15,000 psi
blowout preventer (BOP), and a outside diameter (OD)
marine riser
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
. From 1998 to 2005 the vessel was Panama-flagged and currently flies the
flag of convenience of the
Marshall Islands.
[
''Discoverer Enterprise'' has two sister ships, ''Discoverer Spirit'' completed in 1999, and ''Discoverer Deep Seas'' completed in 2000.
The ship was the first to offer a dual drilling derrick capability. The dual derricks allowed simultaneous operations to be performed, and according to Transocean increased efficiency by 40 percent.
The US$360 million ship gives its name to the Enterprise Class of large deepwater drillships.
]
''Deepwater Horizon'' spill response
The ship operates in the Gulf of Mexico under contract to BP. The drilling vessel has equipment that allow it to process hydrocarbons, and is capable of handling up to . On June 3, 2010, several weeks after the explosion of ''Deepwater Horizon'', ''Discoverer Enterprise'' was used to collect oil and gas from the damaged subsea wellhead by lowering a cap connected via a drilling riser
A drilling riser is a conduit that provides a temporary extension of a subsea oil well to a surface drilling facility. Drilling risers are categorised into two types: marine drilling risers used with subsea blowout preventer (BOP) and generally us ...
over the release, and collecting oil and gas.
See also
* Deepwater Horizon oil spill
* Thunder Horse Oil Field
References
External links
Transocean official website
''Discoverer Enterprise'' — V7HD2 — position and weather
at '' Sailwx''
{{Deepwater
1998 ships
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Drillships
Ships built in Spain
Ships of the Marshall Islands
Transocean