‘Al Safliya’ will be equipped with an open deck area of 800 sq m, a helideck and a specially-designed gangway as a bridge to the customer’s platform

Gulf Drilling International Limited (GDIL) has said its new Qatari-built liftboat, ‘Al Safliya,’ which was under construction at Nakilat-Keppel Offshore & Marine (N-KOM), has been completed and is expected to be commercially deployed at the Dolphin platform in early 2016.
GDIL, which is the largest oilfield service company in Qatar, is a subsidiary of Gulf International Services (GIS).
Al Safliya is the first vessel in the country’s marine history that is being built in Qatar, for a Qatari owner and for use by Dolphin Energy Limited. This investment represents another step in the growth of GDI’s diversified assets - its second liftboat and its third non-drilling jack-up.
GDIL has already entered into a long-term contract with Dolphin to provide accommodation and platform support services. The vessel is self-propelled, equipped with two deck cranes and has top class accommodations along with its ancillary facilities for over 130 persons.
This customised liftboat will be equipped with a large open deck area of 800 sq m, a helideck and a specially designed gangway as a bridge to the customer’s platform.
Al Safliya is designed by Bennett Offshore, the naval architecture and marine engineering arm of Keppel Offshore & Marine, in collaboration with N-KOM. Liftboats are more efficient and cost-effective alternatives to traditional offshore service vessels, as they can be mobilised without requiring third party assistance and they are able to optimise operations since they are less affected by weather and provide a more stable work environment.
GDI chief executive officer Mubarak A al-Hajri said, “GDI is pleased to see the progress in the construction of this vessel. We are committed to providing world-class services to our long term client Dolphin Energy as GDI will provide Dolphin Energy with the services of Al Safliya.”
Al-Hajri also expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by Nakilat to build and develop this heavy project at a very high-level standard.
Abdullah al-Sulaiti, Nakilat managing director, said, “Nakilat is incredibly proud of our place in the Qatari marine sector. Through our joint ventures, we have become synonymous with sea transport and ship repair and buildup at Erhama bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard in Ras Lafan Industrial City in Qatar.
“Al Safliya is the latest example of Nakilat’s passion for working in Qatar as it has led to the achievement of 2mn safe man-hours on this milestone project earlier in September. Following the successful completion of the liftboat, we are now in the final stages of the project and are on track to deliver the liftboat to GDI at the end of this year in a safe and timely manner.”