Amir Kabir rig plays key role in oil, gas development in Mazandaran

Tehran, Dec 14, IRNA – Amir Kabir oil drilling rig in Mazandran Province, in north of Iran, is like a bright gem for the oil and gas development in the Caspian Sea. Bloghnews.com in a report on the manufacture and operation of the semi-submersible oil rig in the city of Behshahr by local forces said the offshore rig has been manufactured by the National Iranian Oil Company. Amir Kabir semi-submersible rig has been designed for oil and gas exploration drilling operations in the Caspian Sea and its engineering operations and equipment maintenance have been conducted by Iran Marine Industrial Company (SADRA). The rig weighs 14,700 tons and is the heaviest marine structure in the country. It is capable of generating over 11 megawatt electricity and has room for 120 workers on its deck. Amir Kabir drilling rig is capable of drilling in waters with a depth of 1000 meters and also drilling from the sea bottom up to a depth of 6600 meters. It has been stabilized with the help of eight anchors, each weighing 20 tons, and a chain. Simultaneously with the discovery of new oil reserves and kindling of the oil flare on Amir Kabir rig Iran gained access to a new oil technology in this hydrocarbon region which was in the monopoly of the American drilling companies. The method for manufacture of Amir Kabir drilling rig is totally local as in the world buoyant is being built in dry dock whereas in Iran there was no possibility available for building it in dry dock. Meanwhile, the bed of the Caspian Sea is very complicated in terms of geology and Iran for the first time embarked on drilling operations in the deep waters. When in the course of drilling operations they reach oil certain equipment should be used for a long-term testing in order to make basic decisions on the field and a floating production storage offloading (FPSO) vessel should be manufactured to transfer the oil. Currently Amir Kabir drilling rig is 137 air miles (250 km) off the Caspian Sea coastal line./end