In December 2012 the newly built rig 'Noble Regina Allen', constructed at Jurong Shipyard Singapore, was undergoing operational tests. The jack-up rig suffered from a mechanical failure on one of the jacking systems during the pre-load test. This failure resulted in the rig tilting severely and the bow section submerging into the sea until the rig came to rest on the seabed.
SMIT Salvage was contracted and a team of experts was sent to assess the situation and formulate a detailed salvage plan plus procedures for uprighting/refloating the rig. This required extensive engineering and (de)validation by the shipyard, owners, class and several ministries. The jack-up rig was refloated by jacking down the three legs and in parallel, pumping out the water from all the flooded compartments. The refloat operation was successfully completed on the 14th of January 2013.
