WorldOil

Imaging drilling hazards in a congested North Sea field using nodal ocean-bottom seismic

It is imperative for operators to have detailed maps of pipelines and other offshore subsurface hazards, such as gas accumulations, in order to plan new well placements in an existing field. The capacity not only to evaluate the locations but also to quantify drilling hazards will greatly improve an operator’s ability to exploit a field safely and cost-effectively. This necessity was illustrated at Forties field in the North Sea, where a fire caused by a gas accumulation severely damaged the Forties Delta production platform in 1985.