Zhoushan Changhong International Ship Recycling of China to recycle decommissioned rig

Denmark-based Maersk Drilling has decided to decommission the rig Maersk Endurer from its fleet and recycle the rig with Zhoushan Changhong International Ship Recycling in China.

“Given the current market situation and the over-supply of drilling rigs in the offshore market, there is a strong need to retire older rigs. Therefore, Maersk Drilling has decided to decommission its oldest rig in the fleet, Maersk Endurer,” says Morten Pilnov, head of global sales for Maersk Drilling.

According to Maersk Drilling, the rig was to be transported to Zhoushan Changhong International Ship Recycling in July 2015, and the recycling process was expected to take approximately 15 weeks.

“It is Maersk Drilling’s ambition to decommission Maersk Endurer in a safe and responsible way with minimal environmental impact. Therefore, Maersk Drilling has chosen Zhoushan Changhong International Ship Recycling to recycle Maersk Endurer. Maersk Drilling has furthermore engaged Sea2Cradle to carry out inspections and supervise the entire process,” Pilnov explains.

“We chose this option because we consider it to be the safest and most cost-effective approach, with the lowest environmental risks. Zhoushan Changhong International Ship Recycling is a state-of-the-art rig recycling facility, and the facility complies with the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships and the European Union Ship Recycling Regulation.”

The Maersk Endurer is Maersk Drilling’s oldest rig in the fleet. The jack-up rig was built in 1984, and had most recently been working offshore Cameroun.

Maersk Drilling’s fleet comprises 22 drilling rigs including drillships, deepwater semi-submersibles and high-end jack-up rigs. Furthermore, the company has one ultra-harsh-environment jack-up rig under construction. Maersk Drilling employs an international staff of 4,500 people and generated a profit of US$478 million in 2014.