Keys to the Evolution of Offshore Platforms

Tyler Priest; Joseph Pratt

doi:10.1061/40594(265)31

Offshore is the big story in the history of the oil industry in the late twentieth century. From negligible production in 1947, the total production of offshore oil grew steadily to account for about 14 percent of world oil supply in 1974 and about 33 percent in 1996. Over the same period, worldwide natural gas production rose to around 228 billion cubic feet per day, 20–25 percent of this total accounted for by offshore gas. Offshore Gulf of Mexico was the scene of most of the major advances in platform design and installation, especially during the initial thrust of development and more recently in "deepwater." Technology and experience from the Gulf was also transferred to the North Sea, which became another major site of innovation during the 1960s and 1970s. This paper will focus on the development of drilling/production structures in the Gulf of Mexico, from their early beginnings in the late 1930s in tidelands depths of less than 20 feet of water to the most recent work on tension-leg platforms and subsea systems extending out into 5,000-foot-plus depths. The central theme in this history is how the interplay between the physical environment, market conditions, and regulatory requirements led oil companies and contractors to develop and promote pathbreaking innovations in marine technology. Moving into the offshore domain was an unprecedented undertaking. Building large, free-standing structures in open waters had never been attempted. Each step into this unique and unknown environment presented unusual organizational challenges, business strategy problems, and sobering risks for even the largest and most technically sophisticated oil firms.

Keys to the Evolution of Offshore Platforms

View Online

Abstract

Details

Metrics