deeper water has posed many problems that are unique to the oil industry such as proper anchoring of Management and engineering personnel in drilling vessels, remote control of subsea drilling equipment, and production are making real progress in reducing proper design of riser conduits, and the development costs and increasing productivity and petroleum re- of the art of operating ships and drilling machinery serves. While situations vary in different parts of the simultaneously under adverse weather conditions. world, one definable goal is probably common to all Wellhead installations are another sector in which in drilling and production. This goal is to recover the expanding offshore operation is leading to deparmost petroleum from the reservoir with the least tures from land-based patterns. Considerable thought expenditure of manpower, money and materials. The has been devoted to installations in which the diristterm "most" may have different connotations, de- mas tree is located at the ocean floor, or perhaps 100 pending on geography, timing and immediate need. feet below the surface of the water. Up to now most To achieve this goal, many segments of the world underwater wellhead installations have been in petroleum industry have made contributions to the shallow waters, assembled and serviced with the total technology. The impact of this technology has help of a diver. However, techniques for diverless advanced drilling and production in many ways. I installations also have been developed recently, and hope this review paper will do justice to te more the day may be coming when wells will be drilled, important of these developments. Much of this report completed and produced in water as deep as a thouis based on the status of developments in North sand feet or more.
America, or at least on that portion of the world's Logistics problems are claiming more and more industry where technology is common to that of attention as the oil industry spreads world-wide to North America. operate in such climatical and geographical extremes as the Arctic Circle and equatorial areas. Sudi operations have required months of planning to in-DRILLING sure that all of the material and equipment is on hand when needed. Even such basic materials as cements Offshore drilling is gaining momentum all over the have been transported over distances up to 10,000 world, from the arctic waters of Alaska to the tropical miles. Lack of conventional transportation facilities Persian Gulf. The trend in wildcat drilling is away has required the ingenious use of aircraft, special from platforms rigidly attached to the ocean floor trucks, and completely redesigned marine equipment and movable structures resting on bottom. Drilling is conveyances. Complete living facilities are provided more and more often performed from floating vessels. for key personnel, and a concerted effort is made to The operation of
