Offshore Drilling
Offshore drilling is all about finding and exploiting natural resources near our shores. Most often this means ocean coast lines. But inland seas are prime areas for offshore drilling as well.
Offshore drilling first began in a city called Baku in the 1800s. Russia had sold the oil rights to earn income from their territory. Oil drilling in the area accounted for about 50% of the oil reserves in the world by 1900. After the communist revolution in Russia and WW1, turmoil in the area interfered with further oil extraction.
Today many coastal areas host offshore drilling. New fields have been identified off the east and west coasts of the United States.
The US Congress banned offshore drilling off the US coasts in the early 1980’s. But with a greater demand for oil there has been talk of lifting those bans. The US government doesn’t have athority outside of US territory. So other countries have begun exploring the areas for offshore drilling in International waters. China is one of them.
There are issues to face with offshore drilling. One is keeping the rigs above the water. The rigs are set up on legs. They must remain mobile which makes it harder. Other types of rigs are designed to float over the drill area. They are cheaper and more dangerous. Danger comes from their constant movement with the currents.
Pressure on the drill head is another issue for offshore drilling. It also takes more energy to lift away the sand. More and more operations now do this at the ocean floor, or simply pump the sand and oil to shore prior to separation.
There are also human issues with offshore drilling. People spend a lot of time at the rigs. It’s like a small city. Extended shifts are two weeks. Offshore workers earn a lot of money in return for those extended shifts.
Offshore drilling is here to stay. It will increase as more oil is needed power the world.
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