Atwood Oceanics
Encyclopedia
Atwood Oceanics, Inc. is an offshore oil
and gas
drilling company. It participates in drilling in exploratory regions around the world. Atwood Oceanics Pacific Limited (A.O.P.L.) and related subsidiaries
of Atwood Oceanics, Inc. make up what is referred to as the Atwood Group.
. Organized in 1968, Atwood Oceanics began operation by 1970. In 1972 Atwood was placed on the stock market and is currently under the symbol ATW on the New York Stock Exchange
. The Atwood Group has conducted drilling operations in the Red Sea
, Persian Gulf
, Black Sea
, Australia
, East and West Africa
, Southeast Asia
, Mediterranean Sea
, China
, Far East, Papua New Guinea
, India
, Central and South America
and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico
. The Atwood Group's American headquarters is in Houston, Texas
. It also operates from Australia, Malaysia, Malta
, Indonesia
, Egypt
and the United Kingdom
.
, four semi-submersible rigs, one submersible rig, and one semi-subersible tender assist vessel. Constructed in 1974, and located off the coast of West Africa, The Seahawk is the oldest of all the rigs.1 Both the Vicksburg and the Southern Cross were built in 1976. The Vicksburg is in the waters of Thailand and the Southern Cross is in the Black Sea. In 1981 the Hunter was constructed and is now stationed in Mauritania
, drilling at a depth of up to 28000 feet (8,534.4 m). The Eagle was built in 1982 and is off the coast of Australia
. The cantilever submersible rig named Richmond was also built in 1982 and is the only one of Atwood’s rigs currently stationed in U.S. waters, the Gulf of Mexico. The Falcon was built in 1983 and now operates in the waters of Malaysia. The Beacon, constructed in 2003, is located in Singapore and is scheduled to be moved to India in December. Since 1996, the Atwood group has spent over US$400 million in upgrading seven of its eight offshore drilling
units.
Atwood Oceanics Inc. has recently a ninth drilling unit, the Atwood Aurora, constructed at the Keppel AmFELS, Inc. in Brownsville, Texas
at a cost of US$160 million; in operation since September 2008. Additionally, the Company has plans to take delivery of two additional semi-submersible rigs, the Atwood Osprey in 2011 and another yet unnamed rig in 2012.
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
drilling company. It participates in drilling in exploratory regions around the world. Atwood Oceanics Pacific Limited (A.O.P.L.) and related subsidiaries
of Atwood Oceanics, Inc. make up what is referred to as the Atwood Group.
History
The Atwood Group owns and operates eight offshore oil and gas drilling rigsOil platform
An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...
. Organized in 1968, Atwood Oceanics began operation by 1970. In 1972 Atwood was placed on the stock market and is currently under the symbol ATW on the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
. The Atwood Group has conducted drilling operations in the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
, Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, East and West Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Far East, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Central and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. The Atwood Group's American headquarters is in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. It also operates from Australia, Malaysia, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Gas and oil rigs
Atwood Oceanics owns two jack-up rigsDrilling rig
A drilling rig is a machine which creates holes or shafts in the ground. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill water wells, oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells, or they can be small enough to be moved manually by one person...
, four semi-submersible rigs, one submersible rig, and one semi-subersible tender assist vessel. Constructed in 1974, and located off the coast of West Africa, The Seahawk is the oldest of all the rigs.1 Both the Vicksburg and the Southern Cross were built in 1976. The Vicksburg is in the waters of Thailand and the Southern Cross is in the Black Sea. In 1981 the Hunter was constructed and is now stationed in Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
, drilling at a depth of up to 28000 feet (8,534.4 m). The Eagle was built in 1982 and is off the coast of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The cantilever submersible rig named Richmond was also built in 1982 and is the only one of Atwood’s rigs currently stationed in U.S. waters, the Gulf of Mexico. The Falcon was built in 1983 and now operates in the waters of Malaysia. The Beacon, constructed in 2003, is located in Singapore and is scheduled to be moved to India in December. Since 1996, the Atwood group has spent over US$400 million in upgrading seven of its eight offshore drilling
Offshore drilling
Offshore drilling refers to a mechanical process where a wellbore is drilled through the seabed. It is typically carried out in order to explore for and subsequently produce hydrocarbons which lie in rock formations beneath the seabed...
units.
Atwood Oceanics Inc. has recently a ninth drilling unit, the Atwood Aurora, constructed at the Keppel AmFELS, Inc. in Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
at a cost of US$160 million; in operation since September 2008. Additionally, the Company has plans to take delivery of two additional semi-submersible rigs, the Atwood Osprey in 2011 and another yet unnamed rig in 2012.
Corporate Governance
Atwood is governed by a 6 member board of directors. The members of this board are:- Deborah H Beck
- Jack E Golden
- George S Dotson (Chairman)
- Robert J Saltiel
- Hans Helmerich
- James R Montague