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The jackup Soehanah is one of a number of super premium jackups worldwide built to PPL Shipyard's proprietary design, the Baker Marine Pacific 375 Class.  ABS has classed many of these jackups. Howevever, what makes this rig special is that it is the first mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) to receive ABS’ habitability notation, HAB+. 

The HAB+ notation level addresses habitability categories such as accommodation design, human whole-body vibration, noise, indoor climate criteria and lighting aimed at increasing crew comfort.    

As offshore exploration and development moves into deeper waters increasingly farther from shore and infrastructure, the need for quality crew accommodations and habitability aboard new facilities is important, says ABS Manager of Corporate Operational Safety & Evaluation, Denise B. McCafferty.  As one of the world’s leading authorities in human factors engineering (HFE), McCafferty and her team at ABS developed the industry’s first comprehensive Guide for Crew Habitability on Offshore Installations.

The rig’s owner, Indonesia-based PT Apexindo Pratama Duta Tbk, wanted a state-of-the-art jackup in terms of technology but also paid close attention to the accommodations on board and crew comfort. 

“Arrangements are not the most difficult part of designing living quarters but looking at details and making sure the materials and construction standards will fit the requirements is much more difficult to achieve,” says Nicolas Genton, Director, Singapore-based Moonpool Consultants Pte Ltd. Genton says that by using the ABS notation criteria he was able to clearly specify the expected quality of the accommodations and this, in turn, translated to the procurement and construction phases.     

Apexindo has had the rig in operation for Total E&P offshore Indonesia since May 2007. It can accommodate 113 personnel onboard.  The jackup strengthens Apexindo’s fleet and achieving these comfort standards shows the owner’s commitment to the staff working on the rig in terms of safe and comfortable environment. 

Soehanah is equipped to drill high pressure and high temperature wells of up to 25,000 feet and to operate in 375 feet water depth.