Wärtsilä receives first order for slop water treatment system

Wärtsilä has received its first order from an undisclosed customer to supply its new slop water treatment system, designed to treat and clean water contaminated with slop or drilling mud.

The system has been ordered for an ultra-deep-water drill ship operating in the Gulf of Mexico. The contract was signed at the end of 2013.

The system is designed to retrofit to any rig. It enables the amount of drill slop sent ashore to be reduced by as much as 80% to 90%.

Wärtsilä environmental solutions vice president Juha Kytola said that the company has vast experience in the treatment of oil, water and discharge waste for offshore platforms, production vessels, and other maritime vessels with systems that meet all existing and anticipated standards.

"By being able to provide high-performance solutions that safely reduce the need for drill slop to be sent ashore, we are promoting environmental sustainability as well as lowering our customers’ operating costs," Kytölä added.

The drillship is capable of drilling wells at water depths of up to 3,100m and has a drill water capacity of 2,178m³, giving an indication of the amount of slop water that will be handled by the company’s first Wärtsilä slop water treatment system.