An innovative approach to development drilling in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico

An overview of decisions/ resulting operations by Anadarko Petroleum in development well drilling on its Marco Polo field in 4,300-ft water, from rig selection to wellhead design

Vol. 225 No. 1

Deepwater Drilling Technology

An innovative approach to development drilling in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico

An overview of decisions and resulting operations by Anadarko in drilling development wells in its Marco Polo field in 4,300-ft water

Pat Watson, Eric Kolstad,* Richard Borstmayer, Anadarko Petroleum, Thomas Pope, Halliburton Energy Services, and Andy Reseigh, Transocean Inc.

Anadarko Petroleum's Marco Polo development is located in about 4,300 ft of water in Green Canyon Block 608, in the Central Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The discovery and appraisal wells were drilled in 2000, and the field will be produced using a tension leg platform (TLP), which was installed in late 2003.

The development drilling, which was completed in early 2003, used several innovative approaches to maximize project value. Some of the approaches that challenged industry trends are highlighted in this presentation, including operational decisions for: 1) rig selection; 2) the drilling fluid system; 3) cementing; and 4) casing and wellhead design.


	This article was adapted from a professional society paper for which World Oil was granted the right to print one time only. Therefore, to review the article, you should refer to the actual World Oil magazine in which it originally appeared.

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