Two Dutch Shell oil drilling platforms are being readied to leave the Port of Port Angeles soon. This rig, Noble Discoverer, has been loaded onto the semi-submersible MV Blue Marlin for transport and will be the first to leave.
Polar Pioneer, which has been here longer, will be loaded onto its transport and is scheduled to depart next week. These rigs are enormous. I wasn’t able to get a clear shot but you may make out two rather large boats to the left of the rig.
Dockwise Vanguard is the semi-submersible transport ship onto which the Polar Pioneer will be loaded. Both rigs are destined for the North Sea. Their routes haven’t been announced but these rigs are too large to transverse the Panama Canal so they’ll probably take the long way round…Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego in South America.
I don’t know if this support vessel will be part of the entourage. I titled this post “Parting is such sweet sorrow” because Port Angeles has been grateful for the business these rigs has brought to town.
Very impressive rigs they are.
I guess the only sorrow-ful party will be Shell.
They truly are massive.
I have never seen one in person so I can only guess at how HUGE they must be.
I wonder of the departure just means that drilling is not economic there at current prices, and rigs will return when the price of oil goes up again.
After the BP mess in the Gulf of Mexico which is still impacting the coastlines of several states, I find these a little discouraging. Accidents are not infrequent with these rigs. Your photos are excellent, though.