H1305 Beacon Pacific, a new semi-submersible drilling rig made by Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Ltd, cuts its first steel in CIMC Raffles Yantai Shipyard, Yantai, Shandong province on June 9. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Construction work on the H1305 Beacon Pacific, a new semi-submersible drilling rig made by Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Ltd, began in Yantai, Shandong province on June 9.

When completed, it will be the 7th North Sea semi-submersible drilling rig produced by CIMC Raffles - China's leading offshore engineering manufacturer and a subsidiary of China International Marine Containers Group. The rig will be delivered to Beacon Pacific Group Ltd and will operate in the North Sea upon its completion.

H1305 Beacon Pacific, a new semi-submersible drilling rig made by Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Ltd, starts construction in Yantai, Shandong province on June 9. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The rig can operate in seawater depths of up to 500 meters and drill to a depth of 8,000 meters at a temperature of minus 20 degree Celsius. Equipped with an advanced DP3 dynamic positioning system and mooring system, the platform will be able to be operate in rough seas, such as Norwegian waters of the North Sea and the Barents Sea.

Based on a GM4-D design, CIMC Raffles has cooperated with Norway's Global Maritime Group on the rig's basic design and owns 80 percent of the intellectual property rights. The platform is expected to be delivered at the end of 2017.

Edited by Jacob Hooson

Wang Qian contributed to the story