offshore drilling

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offshore drilling

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July 1, 2026

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Offshore drilling involves extracting petroleum from reservoirs located beneath the ocean floor. This process utilizes specialized drilling platforms and equipment designed for marine environments.

In shallow waters, typically less than 15 meters (50 feet) deep, platforms may be mounted on barges or fixed structures with legs anchored to the seafloor. For deeper waters, up to 1,524 meters (5,000 feet), floating platforms like drill ships or more stable semi-submersible platforms are employed. For ultradeep waters exceeding 1,830 meters (6,000 feet), advanced systems such as tension-leg platforms and spar-type platforms are used.

After extraction, oil and gas are processed on the platforms and then transported to shore via pipelines or tankers. Environmental considerations are crucial, especially in sensitive areas like the Arctic, where artificial islands may be constructed to mitigate hazards like drifting ice.123

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Atlantic Ocean
Submarine hydrocarbons
…the United States, revenues from offshore leases have been one of the largest sources of federal income, and receipts from offshore production have been important for the economies of the United Kingdom and Norway since the 1970s.
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…the United States, revenues from offshore leases have been one of the largest sources of federal income, and receipts from offshore production have been important for the economies of the United Kingdom and Norway since the 1970s.
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Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Aftermath and impact
A moratorium on offshore drilling, enacted by U.S. Pres. Barack Obama’s administration despite a district court reversal, left an estimated 8,000–12,000 temporarily unemployed. Few travelers were willing to face the prospect of petroleum-sullied beaches, leaving those dependent on tourism struggling to supplement their incomes. Following demands by Obama,…
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A moratorium on offshore drilling, enacted by U.S. Pres. Barack Obama’s administration despite a district court reversal, left an estimated 8,000–12,000 temporarily unemployed. Few travelers were willing to face the prospect of petroleum-sullied beaches, leaving those dependent on tourism struggling to supplement their incomes. Following demands by Obama,…
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Gulf of Mexico / Gulf of America
Mineral resources
Offshore wells have been drilled primarily in the waters off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana and off Mexico in the Bay of Campeche. Sulfur is also extracted from wells drilled on the continental shelf off Louisiana. Oyster shells are obtained from the shallow waters…
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Offshore wells have been drilled primarily in the waters off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana and off Mexico in the Bay of Campeche. Sulfur is also extracted from wells drilled on the continental shelf off Louisiana. Oyster shells are obtained from the shallow waters…
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North Sea
Oil and gas
Farther north, Norway’s first offshore oil field went into production in 1971, and the United Kingdom began recovering offshore oil from the North Sea four years later. In the central portions of the North Sea, offshore oil wells now stretch from north of the Shetlands for more than 400…
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Farther north, Norway’s first offshore oil field went into production in 1971, and the United Kingdom began recovering offshore oil from the North Sea four years later. In the central portions of the North Sea, offshore oil wells now stretch from north of the Shetlands for more than 400…
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petroleum engineering
1945 to the present
…1950s was development of the offshore oil industry and a whole new technology. Since onshore petroleum engineers had little knowledge of wave heights and wave forces, other engineering disciplines provided expertise, including oceanographers and marine engineers recently discharged from the armed forces. Soon design standards were developed, and more complex…
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…1950s was development of the offshore oil industry and a whole new technology. Since onshore petroleum engineers had little knowledge of wave heights and wave forces, other engineering disciplines provided expertise, including oceanographers and marine engineers recently discharged from the armed forces. Soon design standards were developed, and more complex…
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petroleum production
Offshore platforms
Many petroleum reservoirs are found in places where normal land-based drilling rigs cannot be used. In inland waters or wetland areas, a drilling platform and other drilling equipment may be mounted on a barge, which can be floated into position and…
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Many petroleum reservoirs are found in places where normal land-based drilling rigs cannot be used. In inland waters or wetland areas, a drilling platform and other drilling equipment may be mounted on a barge, which can be floated into position and…
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Suriname
Resources and power
Offshore oil exploration of the Guyana-Suriname Basin, which was stalled for decades because of the maritime boundary dispute with Guyana, began again in 2008.
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Offshore oil exploration of the Guyana-Suriname Basin, which was stalled for decades because of the maritime boundary dispute with Guyana, began again in 2008.
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