The seventh-generation semi-submersible drilling platform "Blue Whale 1" was built and named by Shandong Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Engineering Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of CIMC Group.
The platform is 117 meters long, 92.7 meters wide, and 118 meters high. It has a maximum operating water depth of 3,658 meters and a maximum drilling depth of 15,240 meters. It is suitable for global deep-sea operations. Compared with traditional single drilling tower platforms, "Blue Whale 1" is equipped with a high-efficiency
The hydraulic double drilling tower and the world's leading dp3 closed-loop power management system can improve operating efficiency by 30% and save 10% of fuel consumption.
"Blue Whale 1' represents the highest level of design and construction of ocean drilling platforms in the world today. It brings my country's deepwater oil and gas exploration and development capabilities into the world's advanced ranks. It is also CIMC Group's implementation of the national grand strategy of 'One Belt, One Road' and enhances the country's high-end Important practice of energy equipment strength.
The platform has won the Best Drilling Technology Award from Worldoil in 2014 and the Best Design Highlight Award from OTC in 2016.
The construction base started on August 28, 2013.
On June 15, 2015, the upper and lower hulls of the platform were assembled at the Yantai construction base.
"Blue Whale 1" began its sea trial journey on September 4, 2016, and completed its seaworthiness mission in just 17 days.
On December 28, 2016, "Blue Whale 1" successfully obtained the Norwegian Shipping Classification Certificate.
On February 13, 2017, "Blue Whale 1" was officially named and delivered at the Yantai construction base.
On May 18, 2017, "Blue Whale 1" completed my country's world's first large-scale trial mining mission of "combustible ice" in the sea.
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 18
Congratulatory messages from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on the successful trial production of natural gas hydrates in the sea
The Ministry of Land and Resources, China Geological Survey and all participating research and test units and all comrades participating in the trial production of natural gas hydrates in sea areas:
On the occasion of the successful trial production of natural gas hydrate in the sea, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council would like to express warm congratulations to all participating research and trial units and personnel who participated in this task!
Natural gas hydrate is an efficient and clean energy source with abundant resources, and is the strategic commanding heights of future global energy development. After nearly 20 years of unremitting efforts, our country has achieved independent innovation in the theory, technology, engineering, and equipment of natural gas hydrate exploration and development, achieving a historic milestone.
sexual breakthrough.
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Implementing new development concepts, implementing innovation-driven development strategies, giving full play to the political advantages of our country's socialist system in concentrating efforts on big things, and achieving major results in mastering key technologies such as deep-sea entry, deep-sea exploration, and deep-sea development are the Chinese people's courage to climb the world
Another landmark achievement at the peak of science and technology, it has an important and far-reaching impact on promoting the energy production and consumption revolution.
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Relying on scientific and technological progress, protecting marine ecology, promoting the industrialization process of natural gas hydrate exploration and mining, making new and greater contributions to promoting green development and ensuring national energy security, striving to achieve the "Two Centenary Goals" and realizing the greatness of the Chinese nation
The rejuvenated Chinese dream has made new achievements again!
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, State Council May 18, 2017
In August 2017, the former Ministry of Land and Resources, the Guangdong Provincial Government, and PetroChina signed a "Strategic Cooperation Agreement to Promote the Construction of a Pilot Pilot Zone for Gas Hydrate Exploration and Mining in the Shenhu Sea Area of the South China Sea."
On November 16, 2017, with the approval of the State Council, natural gas hydrate became the 173rd mineral species in my country. my country's natural gas hydrate exploration and development has ushered in a new period of development.
In March 2018, the former Ministry of Land and Resources, the Hainan Provincial Government, and China National Offshore Oil Corporation signed the "Strategic Cooperation Agreement to Promote the Construction of Pilot Pilot Zones for Gas Hydrate Exploration and Mining in Key Sea Areas of the South China Sea." The main goal is to jointly build a gas hydrate exploration with large-scale production capacity.
Develop demonstration bases and accelerate the industrialization process.
On the afternoon of June 13, 2018, leaders of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China came to the Yantai base of CIMC Raffles Offshore Engineering Co., Ltd. in the rain. They inspected the self-elevating well workover living platform and the "Blue Whale 1" ultra-deep water dual-purpose platform that mines flammable ice.
Drilling towers, semi-submersible drilling platforms and other offshore equipment.
Inside the base, the "Blue Whale No. 1" drilling platform stands majestically, and the "Taishan" gantry crane towers into the clouds. Leaders hold umbrellas and walk while watching, learning more about the company's independent innovation and development path and independent design, development and manufacturing of high-end marine engineering equipment.
I heard that "Blue Whale 1" set two world records for flammable ice mining time and output last year, and the leader encouraged them to continue their efforts.
The leader shook hands with the workers on site one by one. He said that basic and core things cannot be bought or asked for. They must be achieved through our own efforts and independent innovation.
I see that you have this confidence, and I hope you will face the difficulties and keep up your efforts.
In March 2020, my country's second round of trial production of natural gas hydrates was successful in the Shenhu waters of the South China Sea and exceeded the target task. It broke through the world's problems in horizontal well drilling technology and equipment in shallow soft formations in deep sea, and achieved a substantial increase in gas production scale. Improvement, under the condition of active well shut-in, the test production continued to produce gas for 42 days, creating two new world records of "total gas production of 1.4986 million cubic meters and average daily gas production of 35,700 cubic meters". Total gas production It is 4.8 times that of the 60-day first round of trial production in 2017, and the average daily gas production is 6.9 times that of the first round of trial production. Innovation has formed 32 key technologies in six categories, and developed 12 core equipment, including wellhead stability control The device suction anchor breaks the foreign monopoly.
At present, China's explored combustible ice reserves rank first in the world, which means that we have the largest amount of combustible ice energy in the world. This gives our country, which is extremely dependent on imported oil resources, a major energy breakthrough. If we can successfully deal with the huge The extraction and utilization of flammable ice reserves can replace the use of petroleum energy and alleviate my country's dependence on petroleum imports.
At the same time, if our country seizes the opportunity to commercially develop combustible ice energy, it will be able to obtain the monopoly power of combustible ice internationally and even export combustible ice energy to other countries to obtain economic benefits and strategic purposes.
Combustible ice energy is a huge treasure and opportunity for China, which has laid unlimited possibilities for China's future energy development. At the same time, the commercial development and large-scale use of combustible ice can also reduce the emission pollution of petroleum energy.
It can be curbed and reduce climate environmental pollution in China and even the entire world, which is conducive to protecting the ecological environment and curbing the greenhouse effect.
The realization of natural gas hydrate industrialization can be roughly divided into five stages: theoretical research and simulation testing, exploratory trial mining, experimental trial mining, productive trial mining, and commercial mining.
my country's second round of trial mining successfully achieved a phased leap from "exploratory trial mining" to "experimental trial mining", taking a key step towards industrialization.
Pay tribute to the workers who have contributed to China’s offshore engineering industry!
Pay tribute to the scientific researchers fighting on China’s energy front!
Work hard to realize the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!