Walvis Bay repair facilities service first oil rig

ALAN PEAT THE NAMIBIAN port authority, Namport, is now marketing a new product at Walvis Bay – selling its dry dock and repair facilities as strategically located to service the West African oil industry. First order on the books was for the oil rig, Sedneth 701, owned and operated by Transocean, which arrived in Walvis Bay in late April for approximately 45 days of maintenance and repair work. The spec for this rig is that she’s an Earl & Wright Sedco 700 design - a semi-submersible drilling unit capable of operating in water depths up to about 300-metres. She was built in 1973, and upgraded in 1994 and 2001. “The repair facilities and location in the Port of Walvis Bay make us a logical choice for the offshore oil industry on the west coast of Africa,” said manager marketing and strategic development Jerome Mouton.