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Abstract Evolution of search procedure in the location of nonrenewable natural resources1 has led to the application of the philosophical principles underlying the geosciences, geology, geophysics and geochemistry; these approaches lead to tactical planning of search for prizes of commercial interest in areas selected for their potential promise, based on geoscience criteria. It now appears that a global strategy may be constructed using mathematical modeling with overall profitability of the system as a measure of effectiveness. The philosophy of this approach implies that an initial systematic grid-drilling procedure, leading to an inventory of the non-renewable natural resources of a large region, may be an optimal strategy. Successful application of this model would supply a new and more exacting basis for improvements in the philosophy of the geosciences and would, therefore, also lead to improvements in the tactical search procedure. Introduction Natural resources form the basic raw material for the development of a region or political unit; they may be subdivided into renewable natural resources comprising products based on animal and plant resources and nonrenewable resources which consist of metallic, nonmetallic and fuel resources. Some of the non-renewable materials have been worked since man appeared on earth and the location of these resources was, at least in the earliest days, a matter of chance observation. As in most human activities the search for natural resources developed into a search for "pattern" or "order" in their occurrence and there was an early pre-scientific period, equivalent to alchemy, in this evolutionary sequence; the doodlebug, the hunch and "chance" plays are contemporaneous equivalents which persist and still achieve some success. The scientific period commenced with, and encouraged the growth of, geology; its roots lie in the work of Agricola (1494-1555) and Werner (1750-1817) and eventually, as the composition and structure of the earth's crust became familiar, new patterns of search related to the distribution of the non-renewable resources were designed and an attempt was made to explain the patterns by constructing theories of origin of earth materials. Throughout this period from 1500 to the early 1800's the amateur prospector was almost the sole explorer and in the 19th and early 20th centuries by DR. JOHN C. GRIFFITHS Head, Department of Geochemistry and Mineralogy, The Pennsylvania State University, U.S.A. 39-11 the prospector and burro is symbolic of the more successful procedures for finding local concentrations of non-renewable natural resources. Local structural patterns, for example the association of oil and anticlines, were the main geological guides during this period. From 1925 geophysical techniques became effective in searching for the patterned structure associated with th

ABSTRACT This paper describes a new offshore firefighting concept, the RED 1. The RED 1 is a twin-hulled, self-propelled, semi-submersible vessel which will act as a stable platform in deep/rough waters while fighting offshore blowouts and fires. RED 1 will have a complete fire-fighting complement of equipment aboard at all times. In particular, this paper deals with the design and operations criteria of the unit. Firefighting cost savings are presented. In addition to fire control, RED 1 can also be used for other construction and support activities. At this time, RED 1 is in the preliminary design stage, waiting further financial support from participating oil companies prior to construction. INTRODUCTION As our international energy demand increases, so does the need to explore and produce petroleum from offshore areas in deep and rough waters. The ever-increasing petroleum product demand coupled with a strong environmental protection movement has been of mutual concern to many petroleum oriented companies. Like our compatriots, we anticipated the requirements of the energy crunch, but unlike some, we do not feel that we should lose ground on the advancements we have already made in the environmental protection area. In particular, we are concerned that adequate measures are being taken to protect world interests in natural resources, human resources and equipment. A great deal of work has been done and is continuing to be done to prevent possible blowouts, fire and pollution; but, the advancement of concepts to adequately handle offshore disasters in the rougher and deeper waters of the world has lagged far behind the technology to drill and produce in these areas. RED 1 is a twin-hulled self-propelled semi-submersible which can be stationed along side an offshore drilling/production platform to provide a work base from which to fight, contain and extinguish a fire (Fig. 1). RED 1 was designed to operate in the rough waters of the world such as the North Sea and to have the capabilities to be deployed to the scene of the fire quickly, operate in seas up to 30 foot mean height and embody the specialized equipment necessary to control a marine disaster. SEDCO's contribution to the joint venture in deep/rough water drilling experience and vessel design, combined with the vast fire-fighting experience of Red Adair's company, REDCO, represents an additional form of insurance in the RED 1 for the offshore industry. RED 1 DESIGN CRITERIA AND SPECIFICATIONS Offshore drilling and production is increasing, due to potential reserves and advanced technology and experience, in deeper waters around the world. In 1972, 506 offshore exploration and 2,840 offshore production wells were drilled, representing a 69 percent increase in offshore activity over 1971. Along with this increased exploration and production activity, the construction of fixed production facilities has also increased towards the deeper waters. In the Gulf of Mexico during the last five years, there has been a 105 per cent increase in platforms constructed in over 150 feet of water (Fig. 2). In the North Sea, the intent of many major producers is to install platforms in over 200 to 400 feet of water. (1,2)