Canadian system extends Arctic drilling season

Journal Article · Mon Jun 18 04:00:00 EDT 1984 · Oil Gas J.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6486779

Park, D A

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.

• Research Organization: Beau Drill Ltd., Calgary
• OSTI ID: 6486779
• Journal Information: Oil Gas J.; (United States), Journal Name: Oil Gas J.; (United States) Vol. 82:25; ISSN OIGJA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
03 NATURAL GAS
030300 -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
42 ENGINEERING
423000 -- Engineering-- Marine Engineering-- (1980-)
ARCTIC OCEAN
BEAUFORT SEA
CONSTRUCTION
DESIGN
DRILLING
DRILLING EQUIPMENT
DRILLING RIGS
EQUIPMENT
EXPLORATION
OFFSHORE DRILLING
OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
POSITIONING
SEAS
SHIPS
SURFACE WATERS