Drillships at HIP for long-term layups and repairs

The drill ships berthed at the Hambantota Port  

Two drillships, ‘West Carina’ and ‘West Polaris’ sailing under the Panama flag, are berthed at the Hambantota International Port (HIP) for layups. The vessels which arrived in January this year, will remain in port for long-term layup and repair services, which would take over one year and six months respectively.  

HIPG General Manager Commercial and Marketing Lance Zuo says the West Carina and the West Polaris, 6th generation ultra-deepwater drillships with operational history offshore Brazil and Africa, will require some prior work before going into layup mode. “We have a lot of preservation work that is currently being done, before these vessels are ready for layups. That is why they need to remain at the port long-term.”  

He adds that the ships staying long-term opens up opportunities for local service providers such as supply of provisions and other services like waste removal, maintenance, crew change support, conducting surveys, etc., which are continual requirements during their stay.

HIP works with several companies to handle shore and underwater repairs and currently works with ship agents for layups and repair business of vessels. 

Hayleys Energy Services Director and SBU Head Ricky Barnett says, “The arrival of these oil and gas drillships West Polaris and West Carina to Hambantota Port, signifies yet another remarkable achievement for us in terms of successfully pursuing this business with the support of Hambantota International Port. HIP’s business savviness, timely support in allocating facilities for the ships while realigning their operations to handle present-day challenges were key to this joint success. HIP has been a great ally in our quest to expand oil and gas Industry related lay-ups in Sri Lanka, and the strong business cooperation and bond between Hayleys Energy Services and HIP has resulted in the attraction of many international oil and gas assets to this strategic South Asian maritime port.”

As Sri Lanka’s multipurpose port, HIP offers a wide range of services and activities for vessels of any size from small and medium sized ships to large tankers. Many Sri Lankan companies and service providers benefit from vessels calling at the Hambantota port for layups and repairs as it supports the micro-economy created around them through the additional services that are required over a longer period. These types of vessels contribute in increasing awareness among ship owners and ship managers, of the diverse portfolio of services HIP can offer.