SOURCE / ECONOMY
China-developed intelligent deepwater drilling rig starts work in South China Sea
Published: Sep 09, 2021 01:58 PM
Deepwater drilling platform Deep Blue Exploration photo: courtesy of CNOOC

Deepwater drilling platform Deep Blue Exploration photo: courtesy of CNOOC



The domestically developed intelligent deepwater drilling rig Deep Blue Exploration began operations in the South China Sea on Thursday, its developer China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) announced, marking a substantial advance for intelligent deepwater oil and gas equipment in China.

Deep Blue Exploration is the world's first intelligent and newest semi-submersible drilling platform tailored for deepwater oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea, according to a statement sent by CNOOC to the Global Times on Thursday.

The platform has a maximum operating water depth of 1,000 meters and a maximum drilling depth of 9,144 meters, and it can adapt to the harsh, ultra-deep environment of the South China Sea, said Zhang Weiguo, general manager of the Deep-water Engineering Technology Center at CNOOC's branch in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province.

It is also the world's first drilling platform to receive an intelligent certification from international accredited registrar and classification society DNV, according to CNOOC.

The platform carries a domestically developed smart operating system that supports real time data operation, cloud processing and remote collaboration. It also enables simultaneous operation of both the primary and secondary wellheads, leading to a 35 percent increase in efficiency, CNOOC said in the statement.

Global Times