A New Type of Drill-Ship to be Delivered for Exploration of the Caspian

In early 1977, the French Engineering firm SERETE will deliver a new type of geological and geophysical survey vessel to the U.S.S.R. This 2,000 ton ship is designed to operate in water depth of 600 meters, due to the use of a dynamic anchoring system. It is equipped with a conventional rotary drilling installation, and a flexodrilling device in which the rigid drill pipes are replaced by a continuous hose stored on a drum. In addition to a saving of manoeuvering time, this method allows the pursuit of drilling operations despite a heavy swell in difficult sea conditions.