Old Drilling Rig Burning

Maritime News Marine Incidents
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This rig was built as Key Largo for Keydril back in 1978, but have changed name and owner many times since.
I did a lot of rig moves on Key Largo, both before and after the merger with Global Santafe in 1985.

Keydril was owned by Gulf Oil Co. but run with a firm hand by Virile Stone.
All their rigs were painted Parrot Green because Virile thought that was calming and made the crew (most living “south of I-10” in Louisiana) feel more at home.

He also insisted on having a special “VIP Suite” on all their rigs, just in case he should wish to pay a visit. Since he seldom did, I used it when visiting Keydril’s rigs. (when he was not on board)

PS> Still “slotted” by the look of it, which is unusual today. (Or maybe converted to “Slottilever”??)

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I’m not too familiar with the technical details of drilling rigs, but I can imagine that it still looks ““slotted”” which is unusual today. My dad only uses drawworks for drilling rigs, but they are pretty new. It’s incredible how much technology and equipment have advanced over the years, and it’s cool to see how things have changed in the industry.
Thanks for sharing this bit of drilling rig history - learning about such stories is always fascinating.