Noble Globetrotter II

Full turn-key solution for drilling vessel

Noble is a global offshore drilling contractor – operating one of the most advanced fleets in the offshore drilling industry. Noble’s fleet is commissioned for various drilling operations for clients such as Shell and TotalEnergies.

Globetrotter II is a drilling ship built in 2012 and sailing under the flag of Liberia. It’s 620 ft. long, with a drilling depth of 40,000 ft.

Safety in the offshore sector – and in the drilling industry in particular – is of the utmost importance. Global oil companies such as Shell rightly expect vessels commissioned for their operations to prioritise safety and avoid incidents at all cost.

Requirements

When Noble took delivery of Globetrotter II in 2012, they spent the first couple of months upgrading systems, equipment and safety onboard. We were contacted by Noble’s US HQ. They wanted us to conduct of full vessel survey and quote a full turn-key safety solution. The solution included a full upgrade of all at-risk surfaces throughout the vessel – from the engine room to top helideck. Tripping hazards, due to height differences in vessel configuration had to be highlighted and slip proofed, and we suggested a complete upgrading of stairs, landings, ladders etc., and were commissioned to start work.

Challenge

Walkways, ladders and stairs onboard Globetrotter II were made of various materials (steel, aluminium) that would quickly become very slippery – and therefore a substantial hazard to personnel on board. Staircases and door entry and exit points were areas of particular concern.

The inconsistency of surface materials used on the vessel also meant that we had to develop bespoke anti-slip solutions to ensure a consistent safety upgrade throughout the vessel.

Time was of the essence. Shell had already commissioned Globetrotter II for its first drilling project, so installation of all the safety upgrades had to be done within a very short time frame.

Real Safety were one of many contractors upgrading the vessel at the same time, so access to certain areas were restricted for periods of time. That meant that we had to be very agile in how we solved the project.

Solution

A key feature in our solution was the use of USE HANDRAIL signage on all staircases throughout the vessel – added to the top and bottom of all staircases. That immediately created consistency and a firm reminder to always stay safe on staircases. Other solutions included:

Retrofit step covers on all staircases throughout the vessel
Proofing of all entry and exit door points
Securing walkways with high visibility FRP slip-proof walkway covers
Development of an innovative product installation procedure to speed up the project
In total more than 2.500 pcs were installed

Real Safety’s team worked for almost a month on the project in Rotterdam. We were unable to access certain areas due to other contractors working on upgrades, so we had to re-visit the vessel a couple of months later to complete the job. This was done offshore close to Gran Canaria Island.