Deepsea Mira: SPS & BOP Exchange

The Deepsea Mira has operated continuously in Namibian waters since 2023 under Afrishore's onshore supply base support, across sequential drilling campaigns at Venus-1x, Tamboti-1x, Volans-1x, and Kharas-1.

Between campaigns in 2024 to 2025, the rig underwent its Special Periodic Survey at the Port of Walvis Bay. The survey carried one significant additional scope item: a Blowout Preventer exchange. A BOP is a subsea safety assembly weighing in excess of 400 tonnes. Exchanging one requires specialised heavy lift coordination well beyond standard SPS scope.

Afrishore delivered the integrated supply base services for the survey period: customs compliance, warehousing, rigging, crane and trucking coordination, crew rotation, and immigration support, including support for all attending third parties. Across the survey window, the inbound and outbound freight scope alone ran to 44 separate consignments – 75 pieces and more than 54 tonnes moved by air, sea and road, each cleared through Namibian customs. Alongside this, Afrishore managed the heavy lift logistics for the BOP exchange itself.

The replacement BOP arrived by international freight, was staged shoreside, and was transported to the rig by supply vessel, with extensive vessel modification and sea-fastening for safe passage. The outgoing unit returned through the same chain in reverse. Each leg involved multiple heavy lift movements, every one requiring a rigorous rigging plan, full customs documentation, and port coordination beyond standard SPS scope.

A Special Periodic Survey is rarely simple. With a BOP exchange layered in, it requires a partner already embedded in the port. Afrishore coordinated the first on-rig assembly of the Cameron 15K TL 6 RAM cavity BOP, including full testing and commissioning.