Shallow Draft Jack-Up is one of the rig design concepts for offshore drilling in shallow water environments.
1. Water depth range: 5 to 100m. Shallow water capability from fully retracting spud cans and possibly require attachment of additional floatation elements.
2. Environmental Impact Potentially low, although dredging may be extensively required which would be environmentally unattractive and expensive.
3. Not suitable for ice
4. Suitable for exploration and development. Easily moved between locations in summer time. Rig up time, essentially zero. Constraints remain of shallow water access and winter moves. Jack-up can access multiple slots. A number of well clusters would be preferable to a single row, due to spud can penetration. Subsea completion may be considered for ice free zones.
5. This is a specialist fabrication, which will have to be manufactured outside and imported. This will be be time consuming and expensive, with probable need to import in “kit form’’ and assemble in Baku.
6. The Astra rig is available in the Caspian. May be difficult to make a heavy duty rig suitable for shallow water.
Other drilling rig design concepts for shallow water depth environments will include:
1. Land rig on artificial island
2. Land rig on barge (with optional submerged caissons)
3. Swamp Barge (With Optional Submerged Caissons)
8. Steel Caisson with Drilling Rig
9. Modularised and Pile Elevated Drilling Rig
10. Drilling Rig on Pre-Installed Piles and Modules
11. Jacket Supported Offshore Rig
12. Posted Barge With Land Or Modular Rig
13. Heli-Rig
14. Submersible