A semi-submersible platform is a specialised marine vessel used in offshore roles including as offshore drilling rigs, safety vessels, oil production platforms, and heavy lift cranes. They have good ship stability and seakeeping, better than drillships.
Transocean Ltd. is an American drilling company. It is the world's largest offshore drilling contractor based on revenue and is based in Vernier, Switzerland. The company has offices in 20 countries, including Canada, the United States, Norway, United Kingdom, India, Brazil, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
A drillship is a merchant vessel designed for use in exploratory offshore drilling of new oil and gas wells or for scientific drilling purposes. In recent years the vessels have been used in deepwater and ultra-deepwater applications, equipped with the latest and most advanced dynamic positioning systems.
Prosafe SE is a company specialized in owning/operating semi-submersible accommodation vessels. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.
Dolphin Drilling Holdings Limited is an offshore drilling rig company headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom with its main subsidiary Dolphin Drilling AS located in Sandnes, Norway. Until 2019, Dolphin Drilling had its headquarters in Oslo, Norway.
Aker Drilling, was a Norwegian drilling rig operation company; based in Stavanger, Norway and majority owned by the Aker Group. It was listed on Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker - 'AKD'.
Ocean Rig UDW Inc. was an operator of semi-submersible oil platforms and underwater drillships and was based in Athens. In 2018, the company was acquired by Transocean.
Deepwater Horizon was an ultra-deepwater, dynamically positioned, semi-submersible offshore drilling rig owned by Transocean and operated by the BP company. On April 20, 2010, while drilling in the Gulf of Mexico at the Macondo Prospect, a blowout caused an explosion on the rig that killed 11 crewmen and ignited a fireball visible from 40 miles (64 km) away. The fire was inextinguishable and, two days later, on April 22, the Horizon collapsed, leaving the well gushing at the seabed and becoming the largest marine oil spill in history.
Odfjell Drilling Ltd. is an oil drilling, well service, and engineering company.
The Songa Mercur is a semi-submersible drilling rig designed by Friede & Goldman, ex Shelf 10 and La Muralla. It is capable of drilling in water up to a depth of 1,200 feet (370 m).
The Macondo Prospect is an oil and gas prospect in the United States Exclusive Economic Zone of the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana. The prospect was the site of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in April 2010 that led to a major oil spill in the region from the first exploration well, named itself MC252-1, which had been designed to investigate the existence of the prospect.
On April 20, 2010, an explosion and fire occurred on the Deepwater Horizon semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit, which was owned and operated by Transocean and drilling for BP in the Macondo Prospect oil field about 40 miles (64 km) southeast off the Louisiana coast. The explosion and subsequent fire resulted in the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon and the deaths of 11 workers; 17 others were injured. The same blowout that caused the explosion also caused an oil well fire and a massive offshore oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in the world, and the largest environmental disaster in United States history.
The Aban Pearl was a twin-hull, column-stabilized, semi-submersible offshore drilling rig owned and operated by Aban Offshore drilling company. It is registered in Singapore. In 2009, the Aban Pearl became the first offshore gas rig operated by the Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA. In May 2010, the rig sank into the sea though all workers aboard at the time were saved.
Development Driller III is a fifth generation, Vanuatu-flagged dynamic positioning semi-submersible ultra-deepwater drilling rig owned by Transocean and operated under lease agreements by various petroleum exploration and production companies worldwide. The vessel is capable of drilling in water depths up to 7,500 feet (2,300 m) with drilling depth of 35,000 feet (11,000 m), upgradeable to 37,500 feet (11,400 m).
Deepwater Nautilus is an ultra-deepwater, semi-submersible offshore drilling rig.
Integrated Software Dependent Systems (ISDS) is an offshore oil IT system standard (DNV-OS-D203) and recommended practice guideline (DNV-RP-D201) covering systems and software verifications and classification of any integrated system that utilizes extensive software control. The ISDS Recommended Practice (DNV-RP-D201) was launched in 2008 by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), the Norwegian classification society. DNV Offshore Standard OS-D203 launched in April 2010.
Scarabeo 9 is a Frigstad D90-type ultra deepwater 6th generation semi-submersible drilling rig. It is owned and operated by Saipem. It was named by Anna Tatka, the wife of Pietro Franco Tali, CEO of Saipem. The vessel is registered in Nassau, Bahamas.
Scarabeo 8 is an ultra deepwater 6th generation semi-submersible drilling rig. It is owned and operated by Saipem. The vessel is registered in Nassau, Bahamas.
The Deepwater Horizon investigation included several investigations and commissions, among others reports by National Incident Commander Thad Allen, United States Coast Guard, National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, National Academy of Engineering, National Research Council, Government Accountability Office, National Oil Spill Commission, and Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.
Appaloosa is an offshore oil field located in the Mississippi Canyon blocks 459, 460, 503, and 504 of the United States sector of the Gulf of Mexico. It is a part of the Greater Longhorn area. The field is developed by the Italian energy company Eni.
