Ups and Downs of Jack-Ups

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The Ups and Downs of Jack-Ups will present some of the history of the jack-up rig, from the early moveable construction barge in the late 19th century, through their early days in the offshore drilling industry to their current place as the prime method for drilling wells in shallow water depths (up to about 500 feet). One jack-up, operated offshore India, became such a national emblem that its image was used on currency and postage stamps. While the talk is primarily the history and different types of jack-ups, it will touch on how the jack-up resists the wind, wave, and current loads that imposed during jacked up operations – and occasionally fail.

John Stiff

John Stiff has worked in the offshore industry for over 35 years and spent much of that time analyzing jack-ups during their many phases of operation: in-place jacked up; under tow; during dry transportation on barges or self-propelled ships; and salvage when they have collapsed. In addition to analysis, he has been a marine warranty surveyor on many rig moves all over the world. This field experience has given him an understanding as to what can go wrong during marine operations, so as he has aged, he has managed to transition from actual engineering calculations (way too complicated now) to the softer side of engineering, like risk analysis.