Russia Repairs Large Floating Drilling Rig "Northern Lights"

According to Rosmorrechflot, the towing convoy, which includes the platform, will head to Ziryanskaya Bay from the seaport of Kholmsk to prepare for departure to the east coast of Sakhalin. Work is underway there to build a new well in the Yuzhno-Kirinskoye field, where the convoy is heading.

The "Northern Lights" was laid down at the Vyborg Shipyard in 2007, and launched in 2011. During this time, the platform underwent scheduled repairs and modernization in China twice: in 2016 in Yantai and in 2024 in Zhoushan.

During the latest work on the platform, the following was carried out:

dock survey of the underwater part of the hull;
restoration of the geometry of anchors, geometry of anchor windlasses;
replacement of removable elements of the anchor device rigging;
restoration of wind protection of the drilling complex;
internal survey and maintenance of propeller-rudder columns;
replacement of pipeline elements of life support systems.

PPBU "Northern Lights"

The semi-submersible floating drilling unit "Northern Lights" is a floating drilling unit of a catamaran type with two pontoons and six stabilizing columns supporting the upper structure. It is a self-propelled platform, that is, if necessary, it can leave the drilling site at any time and head to the next point.

The "Northern Lights" builds exploration and production wells in the temperature range from -30 to +45 degrees Celsius. The platform drills wells up to 7,500 meters deep at a sea depth in the range from 70 to 500 meters.

The characteristics of the PPBU "Northern Lights" are as follows:

draft range in operating mode - 21.5-23.5 meters;
displacement in operating mode - 59,300 tons;
variable deck load (minimum) - 5000 tons;
drilling rig lifting capacity - 650 tons;
main power plant power - 32,000 kW.

The overall dimensions of the platform's superstructure are 85 meters in length and 73 meters in width. The height to the top of the derrick is 128 meters, and to the upper deck is 45.15 meters. Each of the "Northern Lights" pontoons is 119 meters long, 17 meters wide and 10 meters high.

A crew of 76 people is sufficient to operate the platform, but if necessary, it can accommodate up to 128 people. The "Northern Lights" can operate autonomously at sea for up to 45 days.