Complex Drilling Rig Claim
The Deepsea Aberdeen is an ultra-deep water, harsh environment semi-submersible drilling rig. The rig’s construction was very advanced at a leading South Korean shipyard when seawater was accidentally allowed to enter the pontoons.
It is estimated that over 34,000 tons of water entered the vessel in under an hour. The rig sank in 18 metres of water and almost every machinery space below that level was filled with seawater. Fortunately, despite almost 1,000 workers being on board, there were no fatalities or significant injuries.
Charles Taylor Adjusting was appointed to survey the damage and oversee repairs. The claim needed to be handled carefully as the shipyard would suffer financial penalties due to delayed delivery and needed the works to be completed quickly. Speed of repairs had to be balanced against the need for the works to be completed cost-effectively.
Damage below the water line was extensive. The rig’s high technology equipment could not be economically restored. Over US$40m of specialist marine equipment, comprising some 9,000 items and over 250km of cabling had to be replaced.
In a period of eight months, over 900,000 man-hours of labour were needed to repair the damage. Regular and detailed reporting from Charles Taylor Adjusting enabled a fair, fact-based settlement of this complicated claim, just 18 months after the incident occurred.
The Deepsea Aberdeen has been completely repaired and delivered to its owners. Charles Taylor Adjusting won the “Loss Adjuster of the Year” award at the Commercial Insurance Awards 2016 for our work on the Deepsea Aberdeen claim.
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