Discoverer Enterprise
Drillship
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Explore on Lably
ToursExplore Lably’s 3D toursDiscoverer Enterprise has two sister ships, Discoverer Spirit completed in 1999, and Discoverer Deep Seas completed in 2000.
The ship was the first to offer a dual drilling derrick capability. The dual derricks allowed simultaneous operations to be performed, and according to Transocean increased efficiency by 40 percent.
The US$360 million ship gives its name to the Enterprise class of large deepwater drillships.
Deepwater Horizon spill response
The ship operates in the Gulf of Mexico under contract to BP. The drilling vessel has equipment that allow it to process hydrocarbons, and is capable of handling up to 15,000 barrels per day (2,400 m3/d). On June 3, 2010, several weeks after the explosion of Deepwater Horizon, Discoverer Enterprise was used to collect oil and gas from the damaged subsea wellhead by lowering a cap connected via a drilling riser over the release, and collecting oil and gas.