By David Wethe and Bradley Olson Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Even as it faces $50 billion in potential liabilities from the worst U.S. offshore oil spill, BP Plc is leading the effort to extract crude from deep below the sea, a place as extreme and inhospitable as the surface of Mars. BP, Chevron Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc are among companies developing a new generation … [Read more...]
Maersk Drilling Takes Delivery First Ultra Deepwater Drillship, Maersk Viking [PHOTOS]
Maersk Drilling on Monday announced that it has taken delivery of its first ultra deepwater drillship, Maersk Viking, from Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard in South Korea. Maersk Viking is the first in a series of four ultra deepwater drillships to enter Maersk Drilling’s fleet in 2014, representing a total investment of $2.6 billion. The vessel has already begun its … [Read more...]
Fincantieri Unveils New Drillship Design
Italy's Fincantieri on Monday unveiled its new ultra-deepwater drillship design at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston as the world's fifth largest shipbuilding group looks to expand its offerings to the growing offshore market. The new design, called the "OVERDRILL", was developed by Fincantieri in cooperation with Aker Solutions and will be able drill to an … [Read more...]
Pacific Drilling Pulls Trigger on Eighth Ultra-Deepwater Drillship
Drilling contractor Pacific Drilling (NYSE: PACD) is kicking off 2013 by continuing on an aggressive ultra-deepwater drillship expansion program, announcing Tuesday that it has exercised an option to construct its eighth such ship with Samsung Heavy Industries. Similar to Pacific Drilling's previous newbuilds, the drillship will have a rated water depth of 12,000 feet, be … [Read more...]
Offshore Oil and Gas Industry Looking to NASA’s Curiosity Rover For Fresh Ideas
It has been said that the technology used to drill ultra-deepwater oil and gas wells rivals that of NASA. Sometimes those comparisons are more literal than you might expect. Here's the story of how the offshore oil and gas industry is looking at NASA's Mars Curiosity rover for tips to help with the exploration of the world's deepest wells. (Bloomberg) -- NASA’s Mars … [Read more...]