A new semi-submersible “ENSCO 7500” from Friede Goldman Halter (Texas) marked the drilling rig’s place in offshore history as the first to complete certificate of inspection requirements under the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) Alternate Compliance Program (ACP). This program is facilitated by ABS of Houston. Initiated in 1995, to date ACP has mostly benefited the U.S. shipowners eager to simplify the certification process. But through the cooperative efforts of the USCG and ABS, ACP certification is now available to offshore rigs.

Construction and commissioning of the rig was completed in approximately twenty-four months at a total cost of about $217 million, which includes the cost of a spare BOP stack, subsea control system and riser string. ENSCO 7500 has a drill depth rating of 30,000 feet and can operate in waters up to 8,000 feet.The rig is ABS classed +A1, AMS, column stabilized drilling unit with a DPS2 notation for dynamic positioning, meaning the vessel can sustain a failure without interruption of its station-keeping capability.