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.

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 ...

Today, Bullwinkle is still one of the tallest oil platforms, but newer rigs like the Petronius Complaint Tower can span over 2,000 feet. ... Another type of oil rig is a Spar Platform.

Jack-up rigs are used in shallow waters up to around 500 feet and can drill beyond 5.6 miles. Their long legs — which reach the seabed and elevate the platform above the surface — offer a ...

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 ...

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 ...

An oil rig in the same class as the ones SpaceX purchased with plans to convert into launch platforms. SpaceX has since dropped those plans and sold the rigs. Credit: ENSCO WASHINGTON — SpaceX ...

An offshore oil rig platform is photographed in Huntington Beach, California, U.S. July 4, 2024. ... India spar over lawyer's 'Tom, Dick, and Harry' remark for government officials ...

Another Gulf Oil Rig Explodes; 13 Workers Rescued Updated 5:11 p.m. ET | Another offshore oil rig has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, sending 13 workers into the water.

Removing rigs is also a formidable logistical challenge, because of their size. The topside of a platform, which is home to the facilities for oil or gas production, can weigh more than 40,000 tonnes.

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.