Maersk Drilling has made the decision to decommission the Maersk Endurer jack-up rig from its current fleet and subsequently recycle it with China-based Zhoushan Changhong International Ship Recycling.
“Taking into account the current situation of the market and the drilling rig over-supply, we feel that there is a definite need for retiring some older rigs. Thus, we have made the decision to decommission the oldest rig in our fleet, that is the Maersk Endurer,” comments Morten Pilnov, Maersk Drilling’s Head of Global Sales.
As evident by the press statement released by Maersk Drilling, the rig is going to be transported to Zhoushan Changhong International Ship Recycling in the middle of this month and is going to require roughly fifteen weeks for it to be recycled.
“We are fairly ambitious to manage decommissioning the Maersk Endurer in the safest and most responsible way possible, causing minimal impact on the environment. Thus, we have chosen Zhoushan Changhong International Ship Recycling for recycling the Maersk Endurer. We have also appointed Sea2Cradle to perform the necessary inspections and serve as a supervising body to the whole process,” added Pilnov.
Imgae: Maersk
“We decided to go along with this option due to the fact that we find it the safest approach possible with the highest level of cost-effectiveness and the lowest eco impact. Zhoushan Changhong International Ship Recycling is one of the most modern and high-tech recycling facilities and it is in full compliance with the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships as well as with the European Union Ship Recycling Regulation,” Pilonov further said.
The Maersk Endurer serves as the oldest rig in Maersk Drilling’s current fleet. It was constructed back in 1984 and has most recently been operating offshore Cameroon.