semisubmersible

[ sem-ee-suhb-mur-suh-buhl, sem-ahy- ]

noun

1. Also called semisubmersible rig. a self-propelled barge that is mounted on partially submerged legs supported by underwater pontoons, rides at anchor, and serves as a work base and living quarters in deep offshore drilling operations.

adjective

1. of, for, or pertaining to a semisubmersible.

Word History and Origins

Origin of semisubmersible¹

First recorded in 1960–65; semi- + submersible

Example Sentences

In 2019, a 20-metre semisubmersible craft was intercepted after running aground off the coast of Galicia.

From The Guardian

The semisubmersible craft was made of fibreglass and plywood panels attached to a structural frame, had three portholes on one side and was painted light blue.

From The Guardian

Explosions rocked the rig on the evening of April 20th, 2010, after the ultra-deepwater semisubmersible rig Deepwater Horizon had just completed drilling another exploratory well.

From The Verge

The huge semisubmersible oil rig detached in rough seas from a tug trying to bring it to Malta, and amid worries about pollution, it looked massive and forlorn as salvage crews tried to free it, and refloat it.

From New York Times

The drilling will be done by the Sevan Louisiana, a semisubmersible drilling rig owned by Sevan Drilling ASA, an international drilling company based in Oslo, Norway.

From The Guardian