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The Rig - A roller coaster on an offshore oil rig?

roomraider

Best Topic Starter
Time for something completely insane.
We've had a roller coaster on a cruise ship. How about one on an rig in the middle of the Arabian Gulf? (although I assume a purpose built rig rather than a reused oil installation)
Meet "The Rig" project in Saudi Arabia. Can't ever see this happening but if anyones going to do it I guess it's Saudi Arabia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXgzb6qedx4

Website: https://therig.sa/
 

Intamin Forever

Mega Poster
Time for something completely insane.
We've had a roller coaster on a cruise ship. How about one on an rig in the middle of the Arabian Gulf? (although I assume a purpose built rig rather than a reused oil installation)
Meet "The Rig" project in Saudi Arabia. Can't ever see this happening but if anyones going to do it I guess it's Saudi Arabia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXgzb6qedx4

Website: https://therig.sa/
I'm not the only one who is confused, right?
 

Lori Marie Loud

Giga Poster
Excuse me.....
S4E16A_WHAT.png
This......makes no sense. There's a....shuttle thing, looks like it could.be a Maurer, but then you get to the other things.

The crooked layout of the water slide.
The gondola that takes you up to the top of the oil rig.
The ferris wheel that basically TOUCHES the water.
The log flume that goes off the oil rig.
The BULLET TRAIN that gets you from one side of the rig to the other.
What looks like a hotel made out of the center of the oil rig.

I.......Just.....

Congratulations, The Rig. You win the award of "Project Most Likely Made On Drugs". If this happens, I'll rob a bank.
 

Archie

Mega Poster
it looks very interesting. and very cool
couple of questions:
1: safety, such as fire evacuation procedures, storms, wind, waves, sea spray
2: weight distribution, I'm worried about how the rig infrastructure will cope with all of the added weight
3: where is the energy coming from, under sea cable?, onboard power station?

also a lot of oilrigs are not actually supported from the ground like an underwater tower. They actually float which means they stay in place by long anchor cables. so they have to be light for there size.
if this is a floating rig, they will have to be careful because the weight of all the modifications could make it very unstable.

but I'm sure they will have worked all of this out
 
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Matt N

CF Legend
If built, it looks like it could be cool, and very unique!

But I must ask; what did they design that rendering in? It definitely doesn’t look like NL2 or Planet Coaster; could it be RollerCoaster Tycoon World?
 

roomraider

Best Topic Starter
it looks very interesting. and very cool
couple of questions:
1: safety, such as fire evacuation procedures, storms, wind, waves, sea spray
2: weight distribution, I'm worried about how the rig infrastructure will cope with all of the added weight
3: where is the energy coming from, under sea cable?, onboard power station

If this goes ahead, (long shot) As someone who as a job helps lay undersea cables I will be keeping an eye out for this job.

The Arabian gulf where this is due to happen is actually fairly shallow (there's a large shelf under 30m off the Saudi Coast) so securing a rig to the seabed wouldn't be too difficult. The floating rigs tend to be in water a lot deeper.

However this still won't happen. 😂
 

Peet

Giga Poster
I think it would be more likely to use an existing platform which has finished production rather than constructing a whole new platform. The oil company would probably actually pay somebody to take it off their hands because decommissioning costs hundreds of millions. Even so this makes no sense whatsoever!
 

TPoseOnTantrum

Giga Poster
I think it would be more likely to use an existing platform which has finished production rather than constructing a whole new platform. The oil company would probably actually pay somebody to take it off their hands because decommissioning costs hundreds of millions. Even so this makes no sense whatsoever!
That will allegedly be the case, according to this article; https://www.planetattractions.com/n...l-rig-into-jaw-dropping-theme-park-resort/693

Its also said on the project's website that construction will begin in Q2 of 2022, so this is looking a bit more solid than I had previously thought it to be.
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
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Social Media Team
Its also said on the project's website that construction will begin in Q2 of 2022, so this is looking a bit more solid than I had previously thought it to be.
Oh sure, those start dates are always accurate. ;)

 

TPoseOnTantrum

Giga Poster

Saudi Arabia kicks off tender for giant offshore facilities... for an oil theme park!​

Idea for offshore oil theme park has grown in scale and could even include newbuild facilites

2 May 2022 9:48 GMT UPDATED 2 May 2022 15:02 GMT

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has kicked off a tender process for building multiple offshore platforms and amusement facilities for its multi-billion-dollar oil theme park to be located near Juraid Island and the Berri oilfield.

Oil Park Development Company (OPDC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF, has sought proposals from leading international offshore oil and gas contractors to construct facilities meant for the giant oil park, several people familiar with the development told Upstream.

The Request for Proposals (RFP) floated by OPDC takes a familiar format for oil sector contractors.

It starts with preliminary engineering studies ahead of a future contract for front-end engineering design work on the offshore facilities. This will then lead to huge contracts for the engineering, procurement and construction phase, Upstream understands.

The oil-themed project comes at a time when Saudi Arabia has highlighted its intent to achieve net zero emissions by 2060 and reduce its domestic dependence on crude oil.

Inspired by oil platforms

Article continues below the advert

Saudi Arabia’s PIF had earlier unveiled its plan in October to develop a theme park inspired by offshore oil platforms, which is likely to be named — The Rig.

One industry source said the work being offered by PIF is huge, with the contracts likely to be worth more than $5 billion, once it moves into the execution phase, although this project estimate could not be independently confirmed by Upstream.

Up to four giant-sized bridge-linked offshore platforms are expected to be a part of the project and could involve more than 200,000 tonnes of offshore fabrication, another source said.

A third person said that the fabrication scope of the oil park project dwarfs some of the largest engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) projects in the Middle East oil and gas industry.

Newbuild, too​

Initially, the kingdom had plans to use only refurbished rigs and oil and gas facilities, but the scale and size of the project required the establishment of “newly constructed offshore platforms,” one source said.

Another one said the PIF is keen to move quickly with the project and wants to commission the facilities in a 27-30 month period.

A person close to the development described the project schedule as “aggressive,” and said the execution could be complex as the project involves multiple facilities and heavy offshore structures.

Leading offshore contractors that are a part of Saudi Aramco’s long term agreement (LTA) arrangement are expected to queue up for the oil theme park project.

Industry sources pointed to contractors such as Italy’s Saipem, McDermott International of the United States, South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries, Indian engineering giant Larsen & Toubro, Abu Dhabi’s National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC) and UK-headquartered companis Lamprell and TechnipFMC.

The participation of such players could not yet be confirmed by Upstream as the project and PIF have not yet responded to an Upstream query on the envisaged oil park project.

Five pillars

The project’s development rests on five key pillars: bottom-fixed platforms with jackets and piles, hospitality assets, activity assets, infrastructure and accessibility assets, industry sources said.

It is likely to cover more than 150,000 square metres in shallow waters.

Facilities on the offshore platforms are likely to be split equally between hospitality, including hotels and restaurants, and entertainment, including a water park, retail shops, convention centre, amusement parks, and coastal tourism facilities and other facilities catering to oil and gas culture and heritage.

Oil tourism destination

Saudi Arabia has dubbed the project as the "world's first tourism destination inspired by offshore oil platforms," which is aligned with the kingdom’s long-term Saudi Vision 2030's strategy, aimed at promoting the tourism industry.

While millions of tourists are attracted to nearby tourist destinations like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the kingdom has been unable to capitalise on this opportunity, due to its human rights concerns and restrictions on women's freedom.

The kingdom is seen to be interested in attracting positive headlines after its image was tarnished by the Jamal Khashoggi affair, involving the assassination of a Saudi dissident and journalist at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

Crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman has been ushering in several reforms in the kingdom and “The Rig” is part of a new strategy that aims to boost tourism in Saudi Arabia.

The PIF claims that “The Rig” seeks “environmental protection in the project’s area, in line with global best practices and in support of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to preserve the environment.”

PIF said last year that the project in the tourism and entertainment sector is expected to be a significant value-add to the local economy.
 
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