Rig to briefly dock after bad weather

A ship carrying a jack-up rig to Alaska is looking to dock in Valparaiso, Chile, to make sure the rig remains securely fastened to the boat following a bout of intense weather.

The MV Kang Sheng Kou left Freeport, Texas, on March 18 carrying the Spartan 151 jack-up rig from operator Escopeta Oil, but encountered strong wind and high seas on March 31 and “began rolling and pitching,” according to the crew. The movement of the rig “increased perceptibly with loud bangs after two-day frequent rolling.”

After checking the three legs of the rig, the crew found a 1- to 2-inch gap between the legs’ rail and the groove holding the legs in place, the result of mud in the gap coming loose during the rolling and pitching. To minimize the rolling, the crew wedged angled steel and flat iron bars into the gap said the movement and noise soon stopped.

The ship is currently in the South Atlantic, and may also stop in ports in Brazil or Argentina, rather than waiting to round the tip of South America to reach Valparaiso.

Spartan believes the rig could be re-secured by a three-man team in eight hours.

—Eric Lidji