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Title: Canadian system extends Arctic drilling season

Abstract

Faced with the possibility of insufficient drilling equipment to meet accelerated exploration programs in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, Gulf Canada Resources Inc. of Calgary, Alta., undertook in 1981 to build a major new drilling system that would be capable of operating in Arctic water depths ranging from 50 to 180 ft. The company decided to design the system to extend the drilling season beyond that achieved with modified conventional drillships. The new system is operated by BeauDril Ltd., the Arctic offshore drilling subsidiary of Gulf Canada Resources. It consists of a mobile, bottomfounded, shallow-water drilling unit named Molikpaq; a conically shaped, deeper-water unit called Kulluk; two ice-breakers and two icebreaking supply vessels (all Ice Class IV); a large operations base at Tuktoyaktuk; and a floating marine base. With the exception of Molikpaq (delivered mid-April this year), the system became operational in the summer of 1983. In addition to discussing engineering and construction challenges resulting from the extension of the drilling season to mid-December, this article describes the mobilization of Kulluk and her supporting fleet to the Beaufort Sea, highlighting vessel positioning, and drilling operations at the first well locations.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Beau Drill Ltd., Calgary
OSTI Identifier:
6486779
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 6486779
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Resource Relation:
Journal Name: Oil Gas J.; (United States); Journal Volume: 82:25
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
02 PETROLEUM; 03 NATURAL GAS; 42 ENGINEERING; BEAUFORT SEA; OFFSHORE DRILLING; OFFSHORE PLATFORMS; DESIGN; SHIPS; CONSTRUCTION; DRILLING EQUIPMENT; DRILLING RIGS; EXPLORATION; POSITIONING; ARCTIC OCEAN; DRILLING; EQUIPMENT; SEAS; SURFACE WATERS 020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production; 030300 -- Natural Gas-- Drilling, Production, & Processing; 423000 -- Engineering-- Marine Engineering-- (1980-)

Citation Formats

Park, D.A. Canadian system extends Arctic drilling season. United States: N. p., 1984. Web.
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Park, D.A. Canadian system extends Arctic drilling season. United States.
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Park, D.A. Mon . "Canadian system extends Arctic drilling season". United States. doi:.
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@article{osti_6486779,
title = {Canadian system extends Arctic drilling season},
author = {Park, D.A.},
abstractNote = {Faced with the possibility of insufficient drilling equipment to meet accelerated exploration programs in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, Gulf Canada Resources Inc. of Calgary, Alta., undertook in 1981 to build a major new drilling system that would be capable of operating in Arctic water depths ranging from 50 to 180 ft. The company decided to design the system to extend the drilling season beyond that achieved with modified conventional drillships. The new system is operated by BeauDril Ltd., the Arctic offshore drilling subsidiary of Gulf Canada Resources. It consists of a mobile, bottomfounded, shallow-water drilling unit named Molikpaq; a conically shaped, deeper-water unit called Kulluk; two ice-breakers and two icebreaking supply vessels (all Ice Class IV); a large operations base at Tuktoyaktuk; and a floating marine base. With the exception of Molikpaq (delivered mid-April this year), the system became operational in the summer of 1983. In addition to discussing engineering and construction challenges resulting from the extension of the drilling season to mid-December, this article describes the mobilization of Kulluk and her supporting fleet to the Beaufort Sea, highlighting vessel positioning, and drilling operations at the first well locations.},
doi = {},
journal = {Oil Gas J.; (United States)},
number = ,
volume = 82:25,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Jun 18 00:00:00 EDT 1984},
month = {Mon Jun 18 00:00:00 EDT 1984}
}
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