DRILLING SHIPS FOR RUSSIAN ARCTIC

Abstract

The depletion of a number of large oil and gas fields on land necessitates the exploration and production of hydrocarbons, including sea shelf and offshore. Offshore and sea shelf oil and gas drilling technology is characterized by high capital costs and technological risks. There are a lot of reasons because the cost of one meter of drilling at offshore and sea shelf is significantly higher than the cost of drilling one meter on land. Among these reasons are: weather and climate conditions in the areas of oil and gas production, the remoteness of deposits from the shore, as well as the need for special drilling and auxiliary equipment. Various drilling rigs and drilling vessels, as well as a special water separating column - riser, are widely used in offshore drilling industry. Drilling ships are used in the construction of offshore wells exploration in almost all oil and gas areas. Intensive development of the Arctic shelf and oil and gas areas of the Northern seas makes it necessary to develop a new generation of ice-resistant drilling vessels. The greatest danger for drill ship in conditions of Arctic shelf is a drifting ice. In the present article specific features of drilling of wells in the conditions of the Arctic shelf are considered, the analysis of the existing types of drilling vessels of ice class is carried out. The paper deals with the methods of protection of a drilling vessel and a water-separating column (riser) from drifting ice.