Pride International ultra-deepwater drillship Deep Ocean Clarion makes its way from South Korea to the US Gulf of Mexico, where it will commence a five-year contract with BP. The rig, delivered from Samsung Heavy Industries earlier this year, is capable of drilling to a total depth of 40,000 ft while operating in up to 12,000 ft of water.

Deepwater operators tend to follow the best-proven methods to accomplish their goals. However, as new requirements arise, new techniques and equipment are needed, especially as operators hunt for resources in deeper waters and more challenging locations.

The Arctic holds billions of untapped barrels of oil, and operators are chomping at the bit to access them, but a number of issues are hampering progress there. In addition to numerous environmental regulations, and activists attempting to board rigs in protest, there are very few rigs capable of working in ice-infested waters. However, new rig design solutions are in the works to address these challenges.

Also, for decades operators have been combating the high pressures often encountered when drilling, but the challenge is only further complicated when working in several thousand feet of water. Closed-loop drilling offers operators a way to help control downhole pressure while also helping to detect potentially dangerous changes in pressure.

Finally, in years past, operators thought they were as prepared as they could be for any possible spills, but the Macondo disaster in 2010 showed that new deepwater spill containment solutions were needed. The industry has responded, and two new companies are ready to respond to a crisis.

As deepwater exploration and production continues to grow, more equipment is needed. According to RigStar, World Oil’s offshore rig database, currently 81 deepwater-capable rigs are under construction, Table 1. Of these 81 units, 26 were ordered since the beginning of this year, and more are expected.

RIG DESIGNS

Making drilling units as versatile as possible is a rig design trend that is growing in popularity. One example that is already in place in the market is the portion of the global rig fleet that can handle the rough weather commonly experienced in the North Sea. While this weather forces operators in that region to use these higher-specification rigs, the deeper waters of the Arctic, with floating sheets of ice and extremely cold temperatures, require completely different solutions. Huisman’s new design, named JBF Arctic, looks to resolve the issues that are raised by working in Artcic conditions.

Weather is not the only factor influencing rig contractors to look to more versatile designs. Units that can perform more tasks than just drilling are inherently more versatile. Vantage Drilling-managed drillship Dalian Developer and Island Offshore-managed semisubmersible Island Innovator, both of which are currently under construction in China, each are designed to perform tasks beyond drilling, in these cases production and well intervention, respectively.

JBF Arctic. Very few rigs have been built to operate in the icy conditions of the Arctic year-round. The only existing Arctic-capable rig of note is Shell’s Kulluk, which is an older barge that can only operate in a few hundred feet of water. With a growing interest in the Arctic’s considerable oil reserves, newer rigs will be needed that are capable of working there.