Portland has had some very interesting visitors over the years but none have been as big as our Oil Rig visitors. In the last decade we have had two visits, one by the Ocean Patriot in 2008 and the other by the Stena Clyde in 2012.

"Ocean Patriot" Oil Rig visit in 2008 During the summer of 2008 the Ocean Patriot visited Portland Harbour creating quite a scene drawing many locals and visitors from regional Victoria and interstate. The “Ocean Patriot” oil rig was towed from the Port of Portland on Monday 25 February 2008 and has returned to active duty in Bass Strait. The oil rig visited Portland to perform her five year ABS special survey. The survey included: • Inspection and maintenance on the drilling equipment • Replacement of the plating on the engine room deck head including ventilation and exhaust system • Gut and refurbish the rigs galley • Refurbishment of several cabins in the sleeping quarters • Refurbishment of several floors inside the accommodation • Replacement and upgrading of the rigs main ballasting system in both pontoon hulls • Corrosion treatment and painting of the rigs columns • Inspection and recertification of the rigs 8 x 1600m x 94mm mooring chains, 12 ton anchors and jewelry • Perform underwater inspection of both Hulls • Perform above water inspection of Hulls, Columns, and Superstructure. The approximate cost of this work was in the region of $13 million and saw a large number of contractors and staff based in Portland for the 35 days of the oil rig’s stay. It should be acknowledged that these works provided a significant positive economic impact on the Portland region. The Ocean Patriot is as tall as a 20 storey building and can drill to 30,000 feet and operational, it has a crew of 100. Photos courtesy of Andrea Stafford, Port of Portland.   Stena Clyde visit in 2012 The Stena Drilling company's 'Clyde' rig has its own cinema and hospital was located in Portland from mid December 2011 until April 2012. The rig was built in the Rauma Repola shipyard in Mäntyluoto, Finland in 1976 and is self-propelled and can operate in ocean depths of up to 500m, is more than 100m long and almost 70m wide and can accommodate more than 100 workers. For the more techically minded, the Stena Clyde is a self-propelled semi-submersible, twin pontoon, column stabilised drilling unit, Aker H3 design. The vessel has been modified with an additional 6 stability columns to provide adequate operating deck load for operations in 500m (1640ft) water depths and has a Surface BOP capability for a water depth of 5,000ft. The rig was located in Portland in order to receive maintenance and upgrade work in preparation for undertaking its following contract involving Geographe drilling activity for the Otway Gas Project. Photos courtesy of Brian Pfeiffer, Portland.