The Kongsberg Maritime Class 3 DP system installed on the Saipem owned Scarabeo 5 passed its Customer Acceptance Test (CAT) on last December 23. Scarabeo 5 is a Semi-Submersible built by Fincantierri shipyards and delivered in 1990. The upgrade, carried out while Scarabeo 5 was still in operation (drilling and completing) consisted of a triple redundant Dynamic Positioning System and Position Mooring System (SDPM-31) with a fire backup (Class 3).
Kongsberg Maritime carried out the initial site survey on Scarabeo 5 in November 2004 and the contract was awarded at the end of December 2004. Following the FAT in May 2005 commissioning commenced with the cable pulling, contracted to Servie AS from Porsgrunn in Norway.
The SDPM-31 is a combined DP and position mooring system based on a modular architecture of common 'building blocks' for flexibility in upgrading. It fulfils requirements equivalent to DNV PosMoor TA and LRS PM (T3), and the addition of an SDPM-Simulator (as included on Scarabeo 5) makes the system compliant with DNV PosMoor ATA.