Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit

Dear Colleagues,

Mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) have been in operation for more than 60 years. They have been designed for a limited nominal life, e.g., 20 years for jack-ups. However, according to DNV GL, 60% of the world's offshore units are kept in operation for well beyond their nominal design life.

MODUs can be categorized into jack-up rigs, drilling barges, semi-submersible rigs, and drill ships.

Several variables govern the design of MODUs, including water depth, drilling operation, environmental conditions, operational safety, and regulatory requirements.

MODUs are transported from one location to another either under their own power, on a barge or by towing. The safety of every stage of operation, transportation, preparation for drilling, and drilling is governed by relevant regulations, thus requiring careful planning.

Many accidents, some with fatalities, have been reported for MODU rigs, including structural failure, human error, poor safety procedures and unforeseen environmental conditions. Blowout, punch-through, system failure, rough weather, collisions, and human errors leading to fire and explosion were among them.

Considering the age of rigs in operation, there is a need to manage material deterioration and come up with new designs for deeper water and safer policies and procedures.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to fill the gap by inviting experts to share their experience with the rest of the industry.  Our policy of rapid turnaround review and publication exists in the hope to disseminate the latest scholarly research for industry experts, researchers, teaching, and reference purposes.

The submission of high-quality original papers directly related to various aspects as listed below is encouraged.  Novel techniques and ideas are also encouraged.

• Recent designs of MODUs
• Transport of MODUs
• Operations of MODUs
• Laws and Regulations
• Risk, reliability and safety
• Past accidents
• MDUs for harsh environment
• Corrosion
• Refreshment for re-classification
• Material selection, fatigue, and life extension

Dr. Roohollah Babaei Mahani
Dr. Sirous Yasseri
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• jack-up, semi-submersible, drill ship
• marine corrosion
• life extension
• risk, reliability, and safety
• new designs
• operation
• water depth and drilling depth
• MODU management, laws and regulations
• transport of MODUs
• past accidents, lessons learned, and prevention of incidents