From roving, computer-controlled contraptions to giant "spar" platforms held up by 10,000-foot poles, today's deepwater rigs are going far beyond anything their offshore forefathers could have ...

The two most unique offshore oil rigs are subsea systems and spar platforms. Subsea systems are, as you may guess, below the water line and sit on the sea floor.

Originally designed as a floating buoy to acquire oceanographic information, the main component of a spar facility is the deep-draft floating chamber, or hollow cylindrical hull ...

Massive, offshore rigs the size of skyscrapers remain at sea around the world. Here's why these environmentalists say some should be left alone. An oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of ...

Using a moveable rig, the wells are drilled and pass gas and oil via pipelines to a production platform. Subsea systems can be used at depths of up to 2100 meters.