Offshore DrillingNoble Drilling

Noble Valiant Crown, Turndown Sheave and Crane Ram Change-Out

DSL supplied an IRATA rope access rig-building team to Noble Drilling's drillship Valiant to remove and reinstall the crown assembly and 16 turndown sheaves and change out the NOV knuckle boom crane rams.

Key Metrics

Turndown sheaves removed and refitted: 16
Work scopes delivered: 3

Rope AccessRig Building CrewsEquipment Refurbishment

Noble Drilling needed an IRATA rope access rig-building team to carry out three separate work scopes onboard the drillship Valiant: removal of the crown assembly, removal and reinstallation of 16 turndown sheaves, and a change-out of the NOV knuckle boom crane rams.

All of the work had to be completed within a specific time slot to meet the client's drilling programme, and much of it involved complex rigging operations in very congested areas of the asset.

Each scope began with dedicated lift plans and the installation of certified rigging equipment, with rope access method statements prepared for the crane work. For the crown, our team de-reeved the drill line, removed the travelling block, fast line and dead line, lifted out the crown block assembly and assisted the rig crew with the sheave change-out before reinstalling the crown cluster and re-reeving the drill line with the drill crew.

On the turndown sheaves, the team cleared clashes adjacent to each sheave assembly, removed the fixings and pin, then cross-hauled and lowered each sheave to a safe lay down area. Bearing plates were removed and the bearings cleaned and inspected before the sheaves were refitted and the pins jacked back into the sheave and housing bores. The NOV knuckle boom crane rams were then removed and reinstated by the same rope access team.

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