This oil rig, West Bollsta, worth $500 million, travels from manufacture in South Korea to Europe. Although self-powered, the rig still needs a specialized high-powered ocean tug, the ALP Striker, to assist with the long trip.
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00:00Osan, South Korea. Hyundai Heavy Industries, the birthplace of this giant.
00:06The West Bolsta, the largest semi-submersible drilling rig in the world.
00:12It is 122 meters long and fully loaded, weighs 31,000 tons, as much as 55 Airbus A380s,
00:22with a maximum drilling depth of 12 kilometers. Theoretically, it could drill through Mount
00:28Everest almost one and a half times. From the very bottom to the top, it measures 122 meters,
00:37making it taller than the Statue of Liberty. It took all of six years to make and now it is
00:45finished and ready for its first deployment, a full 25,000 kilometers away. Normally,
00:57big drilling rigs are transported using semi-submersible heavy lift vessels,
01:03but this is not possible with the West Bolsta.
01:07The reason is the propulsion system. It has a total of eight thrusters directly under its pontoons.
01:17With these thrusters, it holds its position above a wellhead
01:21when operating or moves from one location to the next.
01:27If it were transported with a semi-submersible, it would rest on the thrusters and damage them.
01:36Later in the afternoon comes the moment of truth. Master Oscar gives his go for the casting off.
01:43The star of this mega transport is the ALP Striker, the world's most powerful ocean-going tug.
01:5189 meters long, 21 meters wide, and with a top speed of the equivalent of 35 kilometers per hour.
02:02Thanks to her engine strength of over 24,000 horsepower,
02:06she has a bullet pull of 309 tons, more than any other tug in the world.
02:14Responsible that the 400 million dollar rig reaches its destination on time,
02:19and undamaged is this man, Case Prompt, the captain of the ALP Striker.
02:28As one of the tug company's most experienced captains,
02:32he knows that a lot can happen during the three months of towing a drilling rig
02:36to get it to its final destination.
02:38As one of the tug company's most experienced captains,
02:42he knows that a lot can happen during the three months of towing a drilling rig over the high seas.
02:48It's a huge drilling rig. According to the papers, it's one of the biggest drilling rigs in the world.
02:54So it's also very nice that the biggest ocean-going tug will tow the biggest drilling rig.
03:01Of course, it's a challenge. It's a trip halfway around the world.
03:04We can expect some bad weather, of course, during the voyage.
03:09The pressure is high. At the destination in Europe,
03:13they're already eagerly awaiting the delivery of the West Bolsta.
03:18Every day of delay means a six-figure loss for the rig operator
03:22and hefty cost overruns for the tug company.
03:27Captain Case plans to spend the rest of the day preparing the two-kilometer-long towing configuration,
03:33a steel wire and chain construction.
03:36Then, first thing in the morning, they'll begin connecting it.
03:45The last quiet night for the tug crew.
03:56The next day, six in the morning.
03:59In eight hours, at the latest, Captain Case wants to leave South Korea with a huge rig in tow.
04:13I'm turning the vessel now and slowly proceeding to the West Bolsta.
04:20And then we will start making preparations for our own deck.
04:25And once we are ready in the West Bolsta, we will start.
04:31Despite the time pressure, the crew must take care not to make any mistakes
04:35during the connecting process.
04:38After all, the connection has to last a full three months.
04:43To make sure the tug can pull the 31,000-ton rig on its own,
04:47it requires an ingenious system of chains and steel cables.
04:52First, the crew mounts a steel wire in combination with massive chains to the pontoons of the rig.
05:01A part called delta plate connects the two wires to the LAP Stryker's
05:05eight-centimeter-thick main towing wire.
05:10Thanks to this triangular arrangement, the tensile forces are spread evenly.
05:16This relieves the load on the fixing points and wires and makes them more durable.
05:22It also enhances maneuverability.
05:29Two emergency wires ensure that the ALP Stryker can reconnect to the West Bolsta
05:35in case the main connection snaps during a storm.
05:39The captain's right-hand man responsible for a safe wire connection is chief mate Dmitry Nefedov.
05:56Very good condition.
05:59Everything already done, prepared, just small thing.
06:03But anyway, step by step, we'll fix any issue that comes.
06:11Dmitry can't count the number of times he has discussed the mounting plan with his team over
06:16the last few days. Whether or not it will work will only become clear in the next few hours.
06:24We'll see. I believe everything goes smoothly.
06:29Captain Kees is moving the tug into position. The team is ready to go.
06:40Step one, attach the two 60-meter-long emergency wires to the rig's anchor chains.
06:48During the crossing, they hang loose and are only used in case of an emergency.
06:53Deck bridge. Okay, they're lowering down the pennant.
06:56Please, one guy in contact with the crane for the handling.
07:07The West Bolsta crane lifts the first of the huge anchor chains onto the deck of the tug.
07:22A safety pin keeps them in place while they're being connected to make sure no one gets hurt.
07:32It's dangerous work. It's really dangerous.
07:36Because always under tension, all equipment, all gears, and very heavy. You can see it.
07:44This shackle alone weighs almost 150 kilograms.
07:49It connects the anchor chain with the emergency wire.
07:57The pin of the shackle will fit through the chain. There's no issue?
08:01Yeah, no issue.
08:03We need to move a little bit.
08:06This is a mega transport in which even the smallest parts are huge.
08:12On the bridge, one thing counts above all else. Keep calm.
08:23I'm keeping, at the moment, the vessel in a proper position.
08:27And having the crew in a proper position, I'm not afraid of anything.
08:33I'm in a good position and having the complete overview that the vessel stays in position,
08:40the crew on deck is working good.
08:42I'm not really busy with the guys on deck with wires, shackles, and things like that.
08:48But in my mind, yeah, it's making overtime.
08:52Because in the end, no matter who makes the mistake, he's responsible.
09:03On deck, the crew has now attached the first emergency wire to the anchor chain.
09:12Next step, crane, drop down, wire, and hook up to another end of this pennant.
09:20Pick up and move away. One step down.
09:26The crane lifts the chain and the emergency wire back onto the rig.
09:32In case the main connection breaks during the journey, the rig crew attaches a light buoy to it
09:38and throws the wire into the water.
09:40It's the only chance they have to reconnect.
09:50Be careful here.
09:52Yeah, inside.
10:14The first step is complete. The emergency wires are in position.
10:22Well, we calculated for the whole procedure to take about an hour, and it also took one hour.
10:30So at the moment we are on schedule, no delay, so everything goes fine at the moment.
10:34Only now does the crew begin with the most important step, connecting the drilling rig and the tug.
10:42Captain Case needs to change the tug's position.
10:48To attach the massive steel chains to the pontoons of the drilling rig,
10:52the ALP striker has to drive extremely close to the rig.
11:04Chief Mate Dimitri gives final instructions to his crew.
11:12I don't know. No idea. Maybe good luck?
11:20They can certainly use that.
11:24Dimitri's primary assistant on deck is bosun Razel Dayelek.
11:30He's coordinating the deck crew.
11:34For the maneuver, a part of the tug crew transfers to the west bolster.
11:40The plan is to connect one pontoon at a time.
11:46To get the chain from the tug to the pontoon, the ALP striker has to get even closer to the rig,
11:52just five meters away from the rig.
11:58To get the chain from the tug to the pontoon,
12:04the ALP striker has to get even closer to the rig,
12:10just five meters away.
12:14Neither of them is firmly anchored.
12:20In order to minimize the risk of a collision,
12:24In order to minimize the risk of a collision,
12:28the crew attaches a radar amplifier at the west bolster.
12:32It amplifies the position signal for the ALP striker.
12:36That way the onboard computer can hold the tugboat's position accurate to an incredible 20 centimeters,
12:42in spite of the swell.
12:48With a hoist, they pull the chain over.
12:54With a hoist, they pull the chain over.
13:00They're all under a lot of pressure.
13:04The tension is high.
13:08They know that any mistake they make now will not become apparent until they're already on the high seas,
13:14with a 400 million dollar freight.
13:18Now it's the main step. We need to connect the chaffing chain to the smith bracket.
13:26It's not so easy.
13:30The part attached directly to the pontoon is called the chaffing chain.
13:36It alone weighs a good four tons, as much as three small cars.
13:42I need three or four people to make this one.
13:48It takes time to position the unwieldy iron chain with centimeter precision.
13:54Captain Case is getting impatient.
14:00Guys, above the pin you have a vertical bar, that's for hammering.
14:04Use the vertical bar on top of it for hammering.
14:14Yes, thank you.
14:18There is always a small chance that something could happen, like one of the...
14:22the wires of the connection could break.
14:26Finally, the crew succeeds in positioning the chain.
14:30A 25 centimeter thick bolt holds it in place.
14:44Everything is fine. We almost, almost finished the job.
14:48Lubricating grease in the lead should prevent the solid steel from breaking due to friction.
14:56The preparations for the spectacular mega transport are half done.
15:02Now, it's time for connecting the second pontoon.
15:06By now, the team is experienced with this specific set of gear.
15:10In the early afternoon, the crew is preparing for the second pontoon.
15:16In the early afternoon, both pontoons of the rig are connected to the ALP striker.
15:24Captain Case wants to avoid starting in the dark because there is a lot of traffic around the coast.
15:35The last step is to connect the chains that the crew has attached to the pontoons of the rig to the main towing wire.
15:42The connecting piece, the so-called delta plate, is a solid steel plate.
15:46The connecting piece, the so-called delta plate, is a solid steel plate.
15:50It will be underwater during the entire transport.
15:54That means they can't monitor it along the way.
15:59The team also secures each connection using a cotter pin.
16:03The team also secures each connection using a cotter pin.
16:07It prevents the huge screws from loosening due to the enormous load.
16:12It prevents the huge screws from loosening due to the enormous load.
16:33Now comes the decisive moment.
16:37The wire construction has to be under tension before they can tell whether the crew has done a good job.
16:43Now comes the decisive moment.
17:04The connection is established.
17:07The megatransport is ready for its journey halfway around the world.
17:12Just in time, shortly before nightfall, the team leaves for Europe.
17:17They should arrive there in just 90 days.