THE oil and gas drilling rig that towered over the low lying foreshore of Phillip Island before appearing to hover for days in the early morning mists of Port Phillip is finally on its way back home to Singapore.
With its drilling duties for Origin and Hibiscus Oil in Bass Strait completed, the rig was last week taken on board by the heavy lift vessel Hawk before heading out of Port Phillip on Tuesday.
Equipment was taken from the rig before it was welded to the Hawk’s deck for transport.
The 223 metre, 44, 700 tonne Hawk sails at about 12 knots compared with the three knots that would be achieved if the rig was towed by tugs to Singapore.
The rig is owned by Seadrill Ltd and is scheduled to be back at its Singapore base in early January. The Hawk is owned by OHT (offshore heavy transport).
First published in the Mornington News – 22 December 2015
