Submersible and semi-submersible dry lift carrier and method of operation for carrying a drilling rig and platform

A dry lift carrier for transporting a jack-up drilling rig in a body of water, said jack-up drilling rig having a floatable platform and at least three legs terminating in a spud can, said carrier comprising:

• a hull formed from a plurality of metal plates, said hull having a bottom and internal ballast compartments capable of being flooded and emptied for lowering and raising the carrier;
• at least one stability column having buoyant compartments;
• a deck affixed to the hull;
• and
• at least three pinning receptacles, each receptacle sized for receiving said spud can and leg from a jack-up drilling rig, each of said receptacles comprising:
• a bottom member, at least one side member, and an open top,
• said pinning receptacles having a predetermined spacing between the pinning receptacles mating the spacing of the legs on the jack-up drilling rig.

A dry lift carrier adapted for transporting a jack-up drilling rig in a body of water, said jack-up rig having a floatable platform and at least three legs, said carrier comprising:

• a hull formed from a plurality of metal plates, said hull having a bottom and internal ballast compartments capable of being flooded and emptied for lowering and raising the carrier;
• a deck affixed to the hull;
• at least three leg wells, each well sized for receiving a leg from a jack-up drilling rig, each of said wells comprising:
• a vertical passageway having a first end opening through the deck and a second end opening through the bottom of the hull,
• said leg wells having a predetermined spacing between the leg wells mating the spacing of the legs on the jack-up drilling rig;
• and
• at least three pinning receptacles, each receptacle sized for receiving a spud can and leg from a jack-up drilling rig, each of said receptacles comprising:
• a bottom member, at least one side member, and an open top,
• said pinning receptacles having a predetermined spacing between the pinning receptacles mating the spacing of the legs on the jack-up drilling rig.

A method of transporting a jack-up drilling rig on a dry lift carrier through a body of water, wherein the jack-up rig includes a floatable platform and at least three legs, and wherein the dry lift carrier includes a hull formed from a plurality of metal plates and containing internal ballast compartments capable of being flooded and emptied, a deck affixed to the hull, at least one stability column, at least one leg well sized for receiving a leg from a jack-up drilling rig, said well having a vertical passageway having a first end opening through the deck and a second end opening through the bottom of the hull, said method of transporting comprising the steps of:

• floating the jack-up rig on the platform of the jack-up rig;
• flooding the ballast compartments of the carrier and partially submerging the carrier below the surface of the water wherein at least one stability column remains above the water's surface;
• positioning the carrier beneath the floating jack-up rig with a distal end of one of the legs of the jack-up rig above the leg well in the carrier;
• and
• de-ballasting the ballast tanks in the carrier thereby lifting the jack-up rig from a floating wet mode to a dry mode on the deck of the carrier wherein the leg is positioned in a leg well of the carrier.

A method of transporting a jack-up drilling rig on a dry lift carrier through a body of water, wherein the jack-up rig includes a floatable platform and at least three legs, and wherein the submersible carrier includes a hull formed from a plurality of metal plates and containing internal ballast compartments capable of being flooded and emptied, a deck affixed to the hull, at least one stability column, at least three leg wells, each sized for receiving a leg from a jack-up drilling rig, each of said wells having a vertical passageway having a first end opening through the deck and a second end opening through the bottom of the hull, and said leg wells having a predetermined spacing mating the spacing of the legs on the jack-up drilling rig, said method of transporting comprising the steps of:

• floating the jack-up rig on the floatable platform of the jack-up drilling rig;
• flooding the ballast compartments of the carrier and partially submerging the carrier below the surface of the water wherein at least one stability column remains above the water's surface;
• positioning the carrier beneath the floating jack-up rig with a distal end of each of the legs of the jack-up rig above each leg well in the carrier;
• and
• de-ballasting the ballast tanks in the carrier thereby lifting the jack-up rig from a floating wet mode to a dry mode on the deck of the carrier wherein each of the legs is positioned in the leg well of the carrier.

A method of transporting a jack-up drilling rig on a submersible dry lift carrier through a body of water, wherein the jack-up rig includes a floatable platform and at least three legs, and wherein the carrier includes a hull formed from a plurality of metal plates and containing internal ballast compartments capable of being flooded and emptied, a deck affixed to the hull, at least one leg well sized for receiving a leg from a jack-up drilling rig, said well having a vertical passageway having a first end opening through the deck and a second end opening through the bottom of the hull, said method of transporting comprising the steps of:

• (a) floating the jack-up rig on the floatable platform of the jack-up drilling rig;
• flooding the ballast compartments of the carrier and lowering the carrier until the carrier rests on the floor of the body of water;
• (b) subsequent to step a, positioning the floating jack-up rig with a distal end of one of the legs of the jack-up rig above the leg well in the carrier;
• and
• (c) subsequent to step b, de-ballasting the ballast tanks in the carrier thereby lifting the jack-up rig from a floating wet mode to a dry mode on the deck of the carrier wherein at least one of the legs is positioned in the leg well of the carrier.

A method of transporting a jack-up drilling rig with a dry lift carrier through a body of water, wherein the jack-up rig includes a floatable platform and at least three legs terminating at their distal ends in a spud can, and wherein the dry lift carrier includes a hull formed from a plurality of metal plates and containing internal ballast compartments capable of being flooded and emptied, a deck affixed to the hull, at least one stability column, at least three pinning receptacles positioned on the deck, each receptacle having an open top filled with graded material and, each receptacle sized for receiving a spud can and a leg from a jack-up drilling rig, each of said receptacles having a predetermined spacing mating the spacing of the legs on the jack-up drilling rig, said method of transporting comprising the steps of:

• floating the jack-up rig on the floatable platform of the jack-up drilling rig;
• flooding the ballast compartments of the carrier and partially submerging the carrier below the surface of the water wherein at least one stability column remains above the water's surface;
• positioning the carrier beneath the floating jack-up rig with a spud can located on the distal end of each of the legs of the jack-up above each one of the pinning receptacles on the carrier deck;
• and
• de-ballasting the ballast tanks in the carrier thereby lifting the jack-up rig from a floating wet mode to a dry mode on the deck of the carrier wherein each of the legs is positioned in the pinning receptacle of the carrier.

A method of transporting a jack-up drilling rig with a dry lift carrier through a body of water, wherein the jack-up rig includes a floatable platform and at least three legs terminating at their distal ends in a spud can, and wherein the dry lift carrier includes a hull formed from a plurality of metal plates and containing internal ballast compartments capable of being flooded and emptied, a deck affixed to the hull, at least three pinning receptacles positioned on the deck, each receptacle having an open top filled with graded material and, each receptacle sized for receiving a spud can and a leg from a jack-up drilling rig, each of said receptacles having a predetermined spacing mating the spacing of the legs on the jack-up drilling rig, said method of transporting comprising the steps of:

• floating the jack-up rig on the floatable platform of the jack-up drilling rig;
• flooding the ballast compartments of the carrier and lowering the carrier until the carrier rests on the floor of the body of water;
• positioning the floating jack-up rig with a spud can located on the distal end of each of the legs of the jack-up above each one of the pinning receptacles on the carrier deck;
• and
• de-ballasting the ballast tanks in the carrier thereby lifting the jack-up rig from a floating wet mode to a dry mode on the deck of the carrier wherein each of the legs is positioned in a pinning receptacle of the carrier.