I Used To Work On These Giant Semisub Drilling Ring !!!

I used to be on some of these giant Semi Submersible Drilling Rigs.  They are awesome and can oil or gas well for miles below the sea bed.  Most of them are used to drill "Wildcat wells".  Wildcat are more then exploration.  Once those geologist predict that there are oil or gas in a particular sand zones, these semis will be deployed to the location to check if it is true that the prediction is right.

The cost of these rig can be as high as US300,000 to US 800,000 a day.  Just imagine if you drill a well and for some reason the pipe got stuck.  You will be having a big nervous breakdown every day if the rig is not drilling the well.

Another interesting thing that you waste the rig time is when your drill bit is worned and need to be replace.  The only way to reach the drill bit is to pull the pipes up and dismantle them per stack of three pipes.  Once the last joint is out of the hole and fixed with a new bit you need to start running the pipe to reach the hole bottom.  If the well was at say  5 to 7 miles deep, can you imagine how long it takes to pull and later to lower those pipes back?

I was once those crazy local engineer who love to work on those platform and we change every two weeks.  During my days with Petronas I used to break records by staying 1 to 2 months without coming on shore.

Normally those who works on contract basis will stay at least three weeks and rest one week.  For expatriate they will be on the rig for at least three months to six months.  Once they touches the shore they tend to be a bit crazy.

Working offshore have a fair bit of risks.  One of the worst is "Blowout".  If it similar to staying in an earthquake with volcano nearby.

For small blowout you should be okay but once you have a major disaster like the photo taken in Gulf of Mexico your chances to be alive is very small.

Blowout are normally caused by the uncontrolled state of the well where the bottom hole pressure is not being able to be supported by those mud that were poured inside the well while drilling or production testing.

We normally describe drilling operation is similar to pushing a sharp pin to a full blown balloon.  If the mud is not properly mixed or designed you will be in a deep trouble.

I am so glad that I am no longer working on those platforms.

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