Hanoi (VNA) – PV Drilling VIII, the jack-up rig once called West Prospero during its time with Seadrill Group, is back after almost a decade sidelined. For the Petrovietnam Drilling & Well Service Corp. (PV Drilling), the reactivation goes beyond engineering, it's a calculated step to sharpen its edge and reaffirm big ambition in the oil and gas drilling industry.
The rig sat dormant for nearly 10 years, leaving much of its gear obsolete, especially the drive and drilling controls. The original maker said its old inverter lines were discontinued, with no spares or support service on offer. The challenge was to revamp the whole setup fast, while meshing seamlessly with NOV Inc.'s Amphion electronic drilling controls.
Dang Trung Du, head of maintenance and electromechanics at PVD Drilling Division, said: "We consulted international contractors. Most proposed replacing the entire system, requiring 8–10 months, and some even declined, saying the project wasn't feasible. Our requirement was under six months, from design and procurement to installation, handover and operation, which was a massive challenge".
Faced with that, PV Drilling turned to a long-time domestic partner: Eastern Sea Energy and Environment Co. (ESEC).
The ESEC's rig inspection led to a plan: Swap the old inverters for ABB Ltd.'s ACS880 series, shift the programmable logic controller from Siemens AG's S7-300 to the S7-1500, and recode controls for essentials like the mud pump, drawwork and top drive. They added a power rerouting feature, letting the drawwork back up the top drive. It was Vietnam's first full local upgrade of variable frequency drive and PLC systems on a jack-up rig.
The work wrapped on time, actually early, and hit key benchmarks. The new inverters boosted efficiency, tight integration cut setup time, and low downtime sped the rig's restart. Best of all, costs ran a sliver of what global firms quoted.
Du said: "The ESEC team met every expectation on schedule, quality and above all, absolute safety. Their successful integration with NOV's Amphion system is a remarkable achievement. This is a clear evidence of Vietnamese engineers' capability – bold, responsible and willing to tackle major challenges".
ESEC Group CEO Ha Duc Cuong, with deep roots in tough oil and gas drive and control jobs, said: "From the outset, our priority was to meet the strict schedule and ensure absolute safety. This was more than a technical job, it was a statement that Vietnamese engineers can master the most complex technologies in oil and gas-related drive and control systems".
The win ripples past PV Drilling VIII. It sets a blueprint for coming upgrades, the first where Vietnamese talent took full ownership a jack-up rig's drive and control modernisation, a field long ruled by foreign contractors. The result is cheaper, quicker work, and validation that homegrown skills stack up globally.
PV Drilling VIII's comeback after nearly 10 years idle drew on more than tech fixes, it rode faith in local smarts. The feat bolsters the ESEC's clout as a go-to innovator in oil and gas drive services, and stirs national pride: Vietnam's engineers have cracked one of industry's toughest nuts./.
