A word on rig tows. Speed of the tow depends on current, wind...

A word on rig tows. Speed of the tow depends on current, wind and how many boats youve got on the bridle. Also depends on whether or not rig is at full transit draft. If the tow is short then theyll leave all the drill pipe in the derrick and tow at a lower draft.....slower tow but time saved not having to pick up drill pipe at new location. I use an average tow speed of 5-6 knots when calculating tow time for a medium sized semi with one tow boat on the bridle. The fastest tow I saw was on the Zappata Arctic from oz to NZ...average tow speed of 10 knots but that was with a westerly behind us and with one boat on tow and the rig was self propelled as well.

On cyclones. The 703 is probably rated for 30m waves but I wouldnt be sticking around on board to test those specs. Rigs dont drill or tow during severe weather conditions. As soon as a cyclone ventures within 800km of a rig they go into yellow alert and things start shutting down and people start hoping there are enough hotel rooms available in Darwin.

Cost of the 703.....by the time you factor in cost of third party etc youre looking at just under a million US a day. Some rigs will have a full day rate and a stand by rate which is a bit lower.