Deepwater Nautilus
Encyclopedia
Deepwater Nautilus is an ultra-deepwater, semi-submersible
offshore drilling rig
. Built in 2000 in South Korea
, she is owned by Transocean
, registered in Panama
, and leased to Royal Dutch Shell
for drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico
until December 2011.
, designed to drill subsea
wells for oil exploration and production. She was designed by Reading & Bates RBS-8M and built by Hyundai Heavy Industries
in 2000 at the Ulsan
shipyard in South Korea
. Deepwater Nautilus can operate at water depths up to 8000 feet (2,438.4 m) and has drilling depth down to 30000 feet (9,144 m).
blocks 391 and 392.
Deepwater Nautilus broke free from its location.
In 2005, as a result of Hurricane Katrina
Deepwater Nautilus had drifted off location. All personnel had been safely evacuated abefore the approach of the storm. The rig's mooring system revealed significant damage and the rig lost approximately 3200 feet (975.4 m) of marine riser and a portion of the subsea well control system. Less than month later, Deepwater Nautilus broke free during Hurricane Rita
.
Semi-submersible
A semi-submersible is a specialised marine vessel with good stability and seakeeping characteristics. The semi-submersible vessel design is commonly used in a number of specific offshore roles such as for offshore drilling rigs, safety vessels, oil production platforms and heavy lift cranes.The...
offshore drilling rig
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...
. Built in 2000 in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, she is owned by Transocean
Transocean
Transocean Ltd. is one of the world's largest offshore drilling contractors. The company rents floating mobile drill rigs, along with the equipment and personnel for operations, to oil and gas companies at an average daily rate of US$282,700...
, registered in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, and leased to Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
for drilling operations in the 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...
until December 2011.
Description
Deepwater Nautilus is a fifth-generation, RBS-8D design, ultra-deepwater, column-stabilized, semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unitOffshore 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...
, designed to drill subsea
Subsea
Subsea is a general term frequently used to refer to equipment, technology, and methods employed in marine biology, undersea geology, offshore oil and gas developments, underwater mining, and offshore wind power industries.- Oil and gas :...
wells for oil exploration and production. She was designed by Reading & Bates RBS-8M and built by Hyundai Heavy Industries
Hyundai Heavy Industries
Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. is the world's largest shipbuilding company, headquartered in Ulsan, South Korea. The company is a subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group...
in 2000 at the Ulsan
Ulsan
Ulsan , officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh largest metropolis with a population of over 1.1 million. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring Busan to the south and facing Gyeongju to the north and the Sea of Japan to the east.Ulsan is the...
shipyard in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. Deepwater Nautilus can operate at water depths up to 8000 feet (2,438.4 m) and has drilling depth down to 30000 feet (9,144 m).
Drilling
In 2000, Deepwater Nautilus set the world water-depth record for an offshore drilling rig operating in moored configuration at 7785 feet (2,372.9 m) at the Alaminos Canyon block 557 in the United State sector of the Gulf of Mexico. In 2002, Deepwater Nautilus discovered oil at the Shell-operated Great White oil field in Alaminos Canyon block 813. On 6 March 2002 she drilled a well in water depth of 8009 feet (2,441.1 m) at the Great White field (Alaminos Canyon block 857). At the same year, the new record was set at 8070 feet (2,459.7 m) while drilling at the Alaminos Canyon block 813. This record was surpassed in 2003 by waterdepth of 8717 feet (2,656.9 m) at the Alaminos Canyon block 857. In 2004, the water-depth of 8951 feet (2,728.3 m) was achieved in Lloyd block 399. In March 2009, Deepwater Nautilus discovered oil at the Appomattox prospect in Mississippi CanyonMississippi Canyon
The Mississippi Canyon is an undersea canyon in the Central Gulf of Mexico, south of Louisiana. According to the U.S. Geological Survey GLORIA Mapping Program, it is the dominant feature of the north-central Gulf of Mexico. According to GCAGS Transactions, it has an average width of , and a length...
blocks 391 and 392.
Incidents
In 2004, at the time of Hurricane IvanHurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...
Deepwater Nautilus broke free from its location.
In 2005, as a result of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
Deepwater Nautilus had drifted off location. All personnel had been safely evacuated abefore the approach of the storm. The rig's mooring system revealed significant damage and the rig lost approximately 3200 feet (975.4 m) of marine riser and a portion of the subsea well control system. Less than month later, Deepwater Nautilus broke free during Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
.