U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service Gulf of Mexico OCS Region

New American Deepwater Record Set

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) has announced that a new record for deepwater drilling in American waters has been set. BHP Petroleum started drilling an exploratory well in 8,835 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico on October 22, 2000, on Walker Ridge Block 425.  This depth surpasses the earlier record set by Marathon Oil Co. in 7,997 feet of water in February 1999 on Walker Ridge Block 165.  The BHP well is the second deepest in the world, surpassed only by a well drilled off Brazil in waters 9,111 feet deep.

According to MMS, current deepwater drilling activity has also reached new records.  In July 2000, a record 34 wells were being drilled in deepwater (deeper than 1,000 feet) in the Gulf of Mexico, up from the previous record of 33 in August 1999.  That record was broken the week of October 16, 2000, when 36 deepwater wells were being drilled in the Gulf.  This week there were 35 wells being drilled in deepwater.

MMS also noted that the number of wells being drilled simultaneously in ultra-deepwater reached new depths, with three wells simultaneously being drilled in 7,000 or more feet of water.  Besides the BHP well, also drilling are Shell on Alaminos Canyon Block 557 in 7,790 feet of water and Unocal on Walker Ridge Block 678 in 7,044 feet of water.

"It is exciting to see the continued focus on deepwater oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico," said MMS Director Walt Rosenbusch.  "Beyond the record depths and record levels of activity, we are continuing to see new geologic plays unfold and be tested.  For example, right now industry is drilling only the second, third, and fourth exploration wells* in the Walker Ridge area.  New geologic information gathered from these ultra-deepwells will be important new data that can have long-term energy consequences."

MMS is the Federal agency that manages the Nation's natural gas, oil and other mineral resources on the OCS, and collects, accounts for and disburses about $5 billion yearly in revenues from offshore Federal mineral leases and from onshore mineral leases on Federal and Indian lands.

* Those wells, mentioned previously, are Marathon’s in Walker Ridge Block 165, BHP’s Walker Ridge Block 425, and Unocal’s Walker Ridge Block 678; to these Texaco’s Walker Ridge Block 456 in 6,680 feet of water should be added.

-MMS-GOM-

MMS's Website Address: http://www.mms.gov