ICE WORTHY JACK-UP DRILLING UNIT WITH GAS AGITATION AND LEG ICE SHIELDS

摘要

The invention relates to an ice worthy jack up rig that may extend the drilling season in shallow water off shore Arctic or ice prone locations. The inventive rig would work like a conventional jack up rig while in open water with the hull jacked up out of the water. However, in the event of ice conditions, the legs are held in place by cans embedded in the sea floor to resist lateral movement of the rig and the hull is lowered into the water into an ice defensive configuration. The hull is specifically shaped with an ice bending surface to bend and break up ice that comes in contact with the hull while in the ice defensive configuration.