Jack-up: This rig resembles a drilling barge, but with one exception. Oil rigs come in all shapes and sizes. Now it's time to get busy drinking that offshore milkshake. TLPs are floating platforms tethered to the seabed in a manner that eliminates most vertical movement of the structure. There are three main types of oil rigs: offshore, onshore, and floating rigs. To handle these events, petroleum companies install a blowout prevention system (BOP) on the seafloor. Since then, many semi-submersibles have been purpose-designed for the drilling industry mobile offshore fleet. But it was Kerr-McGee Oil Industries (now part of Occidental Petroleum), as operator for partners Phillips Petroleum (ConocoPhillips) and Stanolind Oil & Gas (BP), that completed its historic Ship Shoal Block 32 well in October 1947, months before Superior actually drilled a discovery from their Vermilion platform farther offshore. Floating rigs are most often used for exploratory drilling and drilling in waters deeper than 3,000 feet (914 metres), while bottom . One of the world's deepest hubs is currently the Perdido in the Gulf of Mexico, floating in 2,438 meters of water. When the lower hull fills with water, it sinks to a lower depth, providing stability while keeping the facilities high and dry. The first purpose-built drilling semi-submersible Ocean Driller was launched in 1963. Dozens of cargo vessels were seen anchored offshore, sharing space with about a half dozen oil platforms. Other notable early submerged drilling activities occurred on the Canadian side of Lake Erie since 1913 and Caddo Lake in Louisiana in the 1910s. After the site stopped producing oil, the company hauled away the above-water . BBC News. "Pumped Up: Chevron Drills Down 30,000 Feet to Tap Oil-Rich Gulf of Mexico." Even the North Sea, which endures nearly constant inclement weather, is currently home to many offshore drilling sites [source: The Guardian]. The wells were drilled from piers extending from land out into the channel. On the surface, a circulation system filters the mud before sending it back down the well. These platforms have hulls (columns and pontoons) of sufficient buoyancy to cause the structure to float, but of weight sufficient to keep the structure upright. To find even older evidence, you don't have to look any farther than the prehistoric animals unlucky enough to have been consumed by the world's tar pits. "More than half of North Sea oil rigs fail safety checks." Directional drilling allows oil platforms to sink production wells into the ocean floor at an angle in order to reach deposits miles away from the drill site. Platforms from this base can drill in various directions, divided into several types suitable for drilling at different depths. But as this method can only help find seeping deposits, oil companies largely depend on two other means of locating traps. Platforms may drill in many directions from this base, and they are broken down into specific types suited for various depths. Tensioned tendons provide for the use of a TLP in a broad water depth range with limited vertical motion. ASTM International. Offshore oil and gas production is more challenging than land-based installations due to the remote and harsher environment. [36] In the Gulf of Mexico hurricanes are increasing because of the increasing number of oil platforms that heat surrounding air with methane, it is estimated that U.S. Gulf of Mexico, oil and gas facilities emit approximately 500000 tons of methane each year, corresponding to a loss of produced gas of 2.9 percent. Shortly thereafter, wells were drilled in tidal zones along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana. Once a prospective reserve is found, companies will drill highly-regulated exploration wells with Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs). It was lost in 1969.[9][10][11]. Reaching these undersea drilling sites poses quite a challenge. Once the well has been drilled by a surface platform, the automated systems transfer the oil and natural gas to production facilities by either risers or undersea pipelines. The oil is extracted by drilling wells. In shallower waters, the mobile units are anchored to the seabed. method. At this point, undersea pipelines and oil tankers transport the separated oil and natural gas to onshore storage and treatment plants. Keyway or Slot Jack-up, which has a drilling unit on the platform over an opening it drills through #4 Platform Rigs Many offshore oil rigs are anchored platforms. Once the exploratory drilling phase is over and geologists have determined that a petroleum reservoir is worth the massive expense, oil companies prepare to establish an offshore production platform. Floating production, storage and offloading, FPSO (floating production, storage, and offloading system), FSO (floating storage and offloading system), California Artificial Reef Enhancement Program, Offshore oil and gas in the United States, Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf, 10 Reasons Not to Drill for Oil Offshore of Florida, "Beyond Sight of Land: A History of Oil Exploration in the Gulf of Mexico", "Project Redsand CIO | Protecting The Redsand Towers", "Azerbaijan's Oil History: Brief Oil Chronology since 1920 Part 2", "History of offshore drilling units PetroWiki", "RIGZONE Offshore Rig Data, Onshore Fleet Analysis", "UPDATE 1-Shell starts production at Perdido", "Contracts let for Marjan oil field development. The "conventional" TLP is a 4-column design that looks similar to a semisubmersible. The world's first Mini-TLP was installed in the Gulf of Mexico in 1998. 1990. March 13, 2003. (Sept. 2, 2008)http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9023145&contentId=7043392. Semisubmersibles can drill in water as deep as 10,000 feet. [2] In some arrangements the main facility may have storage facilities for the processed oil. For very deep water (we're talking 3000 feet, 1000 meters) they build a floating platform in a port city, and tow it out to the desired position, then tie it with four or more mooring lines to anchors placed in the sea bottom. (Sept. 2, 2008)http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/17/MNR111A4M8.DTL&type=politics. May 27, 2001. The worlds oceans hold some of the most incredible reserves of oil and natural gas. One platform can boast as many as 80 wells, though not all of them go straight down. They use dynamic positioning equipment to keep aligned with the drill site. National Academy of Engineering. In the weeks or months it takes to reach the oil deposit, the bit may dull and require replacement. 2007 (Sept. 4, 2008)http://www.astm.org/COMMIT/D02/to1899_index.html, "World's Ten Tallest Buildings." Also, as the drill bit shreds rock, the resulting fragments become suspended in the mud and leave the well in the rising, return flow. Remote subsea wells may also be connected to a platform by flow lines and by umbilical connections. Tension Leg Platform (TLP) consists of a floating structure held in place by vertical, tensioned tendons connected to the sea floor by pile-secured templates. When close to the surface, certain rocks affect the Earth's normal magnetic field. Platform Rigs. There are two types of oil rigs; on-shore and seaward oil rigs. In this article, we'll examine how petroleum companies go about sniffing out this buried, black gold and the methods they use to extract it. The world's first floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility is in production. Between the platform and the ocean floor, all of this equipment descends through a flexible tube called a marine riser. In fact, larger oil rigs often employ more than a hundred workers to keep the platform running. Today's oil rigs are truly gigantic structures. In the Gulf of Mexico and offshore California, the waters around oil platforms are popular destinations for sports and commercial fishermen, because of the greater numbers of fish near the platforms. Much of the innovation in the offshore petroleum sector concerns overcoming these challenges, including the need to provide very large production facilities. On the barge's deck are steel posts that extend above the water line. It will then reroute the surging well fluids into specially designed containment systems. This provides a much more stable environment from which to drill, as the legs stabilize the platform against winds and lift it above pitching waves. A typical oil production platform is self-sufficient in energy and water needs, housing electrical generation, water desalinators and all of the equipment necessary to process oil and gas such that it can be either delivered directly onshore by pipeline or to a floating platform or tanker loading facility, or both. Tires as reefs were appealing for two reasons. (Sept. 2, 2008)http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2041404.stm, "Happy Landings." They can operate in deep water conditions. The platform acts as a small concrete island with serrated outer edges designed to withstand the impact of an iceberg. If so, they then drill additional wells to substantiate the findings. Outside the living quarters, life on an oil rig is a constant encounter with potentially deadly conditions. In water, the energy source is typically an array of different sized air-chambers, filled with compressed air. (Sept. 5, 2008)http://www.offshore-mag.com/display_article/286837/120/ARTCL/none/VESSL/Jackup-building-price-surges-on-strong-demand/, Kelly, David. It has a typical fixed platform topside (surface deck with drilling and production equipment), three types of risers (production, drilling, and export), and a hull which is moored using a taut caternary system of six to twenty lines anchored into the seafloor. The new platform employs the 'spar' design, which means that it's actually floating in the water, anchored to the ocean floor by enormous cables. Oil platforms are pretty big, sophisticated structures; the people who work on them stay there to work for periods of time, so it has facilities . Some of these designs do away with the traditional concept of an oil platform altogether, while others elevate some of the designs from the last section to even grander proportions. Drilling mud or seawater provides the pressure to hold the plug in place while the engineers place a top plug to cap the oil well. Anchored directly into the seabed, fixed-platform rigs consist of a tall, steel structure known as a "jacket" that rises up from the ocean to support a surface deck. Wired. Using this data, electric motors on the underside of the hull constantly move the ship to keep it lined up with the well. Sometimes people working hard labor jobs on oil rigs are called "roustabouts." 6. While the cylinder stops far above the ocean floor, its weight stabilizes the platform. This process removes unwanted substances from the oil, prior to refining. For the oil rigs that operate in really deep water, they more or less float and are anchored in position really really well. In this oxygen-free environment, a kind of slow cooking process took place. An oil platform (or oil rig, offshore platform, oil production platform, and similar terms) is a large structure with facilities to extract and process petroleum and natural gas that lie in rock formations beneath the seabed. The source is towed behind a seismic survey vessel and releases bursts of high pressure energy into the water. These sub-sea facilities may include of one or more subsea wells or manifold centres for multiple wells. Geologists study surface features and satellite maps, check soil and rock samples, and even use a device called a gravity meter to find subtle gravitational fluctuations that might indicate a subterranean flow of oil. However, at depths greater than 1,500 feet, the design begins to become more impractical due to material costs. It is mainly installed by pulling it off the yard, by either wet-tow or/and dry-tow, and self-installing by controlled ballasting of the compartments with sea water. Engineers send down explosives to perforate the production casing at different depths to allow petroleum into the well. But this isn't usually the case, and it's why offshore drilling platforms often boast full production facilities as well. Some have propulsion systems, which allow them to navigate to drilling sites under their own power while others require a second vessel to tow them to the right location. Why not construct a gigantic tower of concrete and steel and mount your oil rig on top? Computers control the tension on each anchor chain to correct for drift. These are capable of operating in water depths up to 3,000 metres (9,800ft). On the next page, we'll take a look at the different types of offshore production platforms. Employees will work one or two weeks on the oil rig, then spend one or two weeks at home. This keeps the rig safe from tidal motions and waves. To see more details regarding Design, construction and installation of such platforms refer to:[18] and.[19]. In 1945, concern for American control of its offshore oil reserves caused President Harry Truman to issue an Executive Order unilaterally extending American territory to the edge of its continental shelf, an act that effectively ended the 3-mile limit "freedom of the seas" regime. Drill ships operate in very deep water and often have to ride out rough sea conditions. Miles away from the shore in the open ocean stands an oil platform towering above the water like a skyscraper. After all, work on an oil rig continues day and night, with employees working rotating schedules of daytime and nighttime shifts. Semisubmersibles float on the surface of the ocean on top of huge, submerged pontoons. The barges sink until they rest on the sea or lake floor, while the platform remains elevated above the water on stilts. is Kerr-McGee's Red Hawk.[23]. How do you keep from polluting the ocean? The drilling mud lubricates the drill bit, seals the wall of the well and controls pressure inside the well. If you've seen the 2007 film "There Will Be Blood," then you may know this as the "I drink your milkshake!" 2008. These platforms operate from depths of 500 to 3,500 feet (152 to 1,067 meters) and are typically used to tap smaller reservoirs in deep waters. Engineers lower a drill string -- a series of pipes designed to drill down to the oil deposit -- through the riser. The resulting undersea gusher, conservatively estimated to exceed 20million US gallons (76,000m3) as of early June 2010, became the worst oil spill in US history, eclipsing the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Surveyors can also detect possible traps through the use of seismic surveying. Subsea system: This approach takes the idea of mounting the wellhead on the sea floor and applies it to even greater depths -- 7,000 feet (2,1334 meters) or more. The engineers will use a pair of plugs to seal off the well bore. Create a resume and cover letter. On a very basic level, this serves the same purpose as the templates you might have used to trace a pattern or carve a jack-o-lantern design into a pumpkin. Today, much effort goes into relocating as many of the personnel as possible onshore, where management and technical experts are in touch with the platform by video conferencing. Submersible rig: This drilling platform combines some of the properties of drilling barges and jack-ups. SPAR's are presently used in water depths up to 3,000 feet, although existing technology can extend its use to water depths as great as 7,500 feet. Deep-sea waters reach nearly freezing temperatures, contain pressures great enough to crack iron casings and are subject to rough, deep-sea currents. The platforms are typically fixed directly to the ocean floor using either metal and concrete foundations or tethering cables. Helicopters and ships bring in most of the necessary materials for day-to-day life on an oil rig, often through choppy weather conditions. The pilings anchored to the ocean floor keep the platform stable in regard to location on the ocean surface and height above the water. There are several steel GBS's in the world today (e.g. In 2019 alone, the United States produced an estimated 2.3 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day. In the years to follow, oil prospectors pushed out into the ocean, first on piers and then on artificial islands. The drill operates through a hole in the hull. One strategically-placed production platform to safely service many wells over a massive area. Once a show has occurred, drilling stops and geologists perform additional tests to make sure oil quality and quantity are sufficient to justify further action. Industry has developed subsea production systems that can range from a single subsea well on the ocean floor that connects to a larger platform to multiple wells producing through a manifold and pipeline system to far off facilities. . The challenge in undersea drilling is transferring all that precious oil and gas from point A to point B without losing it and polluting the ocean. "Jackup building price surges on strong demand." All of this oil began as tiny plants and animals called plankton, which died in the ancient seas between 10 and 600 million years ago. clips and anchored to the ocean floor to create an artificial reef. (Sept. 2, 2008)http://www.naturalgas.org/naturalgas/extraction_offshore.asp, "Offshore Drilling." The first (and, as of 2010, only) cell spar[when?] This decaying matter drifted to the bottom of the ocean and, over time, was covered with sand and mud. What is the worst environmental disaster in history. (Sept. 2, 2008)http://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/default.cfm, "Spar Platform." There has been a spill . While technology plays a vital role in offshore drilling, these massive constructions are also home to large crews of workers. The break in the line occurred about 5 miles offshore at a depth of about 98 feet (30 meters), investigators said. Spars are moored to the seabed like TLPs, but whereas a TLP has vertical tension tethers, a spar has more conventional mooring lines. Gulf of Mexico Oil & Gas Project Lifecycles. The first of these platforms was constructed in 1897 at the end of a wharf in California. (Aug. 27, 2008)https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2174rank.html, Schlumberger Oilfield Glossary. With this design, the drilling platform sits atop a giant, hollow cylindrical hull. To add stability to the well, the engineers use metal casings, much as they do with land-based oil rigs. Needless to say, these fossil fuel deposits don't just start bubbling crude every time a hillbilly fires a rifle. An FPSO may be suited for marginally economic fields located in remote deepwater areas where a pipeline infrastructure does not exist. While antifreeze has played an important part in preventing this thus far, more advanced methods are under development [source: Wired]. Offshore pipelines are a key part of offshore oil and natural gas production. There are many different types of facilities from which offshore drilling operations take place. Why is offshore drilling so controversial? Well, it's time to mark down the GPS coordinates, plant a buoy and obtain a government lease to begin a little exploratory drilling and see what you've got. The food onboard also tends to be above average -- and available 24 hours a day. For these reasons, the Obama Administration must call a halt to offshore drilling in the Arctic Ocean. Oil rigs, unlike their predecessors from the early days of oil drilling, are quite portable, and can be transported from one drilling site to the next. Offshore Magazine. In 1928, a Texan oilman unveiled the first mobile oil platform for drilling in wetlands. FPSOs consist of large monohull structures, generally (but not always) shipshaped, equipped with processing facilities. On April 21, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon platform, 52 miles off-shore of Venice, Louisiana, (property of Transocean and leased to BP) exploded, killing 11 people, and sank two days later. The offshore can be in itself a hazardous environment. At this point, they lift the platform out of the water. It may seem a bit odd to seal up the prize once you've finally reached it, but the goal isn't to just vent pressurized oil and gas up to the surface, but to control its flow. Subsea facilities are also easier to expand, with new separators or different modules for different oil types, and are not limited by the fixed floor space of an above-water installation. To ensure accurate drilling, engineers connect the drill site to the platform with a subsea drilling template. [31], On the US Pacific coast, marine biologist Milton Love has proposed that oil platforms off California be retained as artificial reefs, instead of being dismantled (at great cost), because he has found them to be havens for many of the species of fish which are otherwise declining in the region, in the course of 11 years of research. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Robert Lamb Nov. 22, 2007. It is approximately 488m long and 74m wide with displacement of around 600,000t when fully ballasted. In many cases, quarters are on par with those found on major cruise ships -- featuring private rooms, satellite TV and even gym, sauna and recreation facilities. Once positioned, the jackup can extend legs down to the sea floor. By adding water or gas to the reservoir, engineers are able to increase reservoir pressure, causing the petroleum to rise again. A drilling platform rests on top of the steel posts. Natural gas falls into two categories: wet and dry. Floating production system: These platforms can take the form of either floating semisubmersible platforms or drill ships. These measures not only help to safeguard the lives of their employees, but also protect their truly massive financial investment in constructing and sustaining an offshore production platform. Elements in the oil/gas production process include wellhead, production manifold, production separator, glycol process to dry gas, gas compressors, water injection pumps, oil/gas export metering and main oil line pumps. In the next section, we'll take a look at life on an oil rig. (Aug. 28, 2008)http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/nov/22/oil, "Norwegian Billionaires' Oil-Rig Building Spree Raises Glut Risk." In 1938, Humble Oil built a mile-long wooden trestle with railway tracks into the sea at McFadden Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, placing a derrick at its end this was later destroyed by a hurricane.[5]. These installations, sometimes called toadstools, are small platforms, consisting of little more than a well bay, helipad and emergency shelter. Fifty miles southeast of Grand Isle, La., sits the Lena, which used to be an oil rig owned by ExxonMobil. Aug. 21, 2007. Bloomberg News. On smaller platforms, one worker can perform a number of different jobs. [7][8], In 1954, the first jackup oil rig was ordered by Zapata Oil. In fact, larger oil rigs often employ more than a hundred workers to keep the platform running. June 18, 2002. While the design may vary depending on the exact ocean floor conditions, the drilling template basically resembles a large metal box with holes in it to mark the site of each production well. This final stretch is called the bottom hole, and is lined with intermediate casing. A ship tows the barge to the drilling site. Robots Improve Efficiency and Worker Safety on Transocean Oil Rigs Transocean, a leading offshore drilling contractor, has rig operations located in harsh environment and ultra-deep water locations across the globe. When the MODU hits oil, engineers must seal the well to prepare it for a production rig. The following also are not names officially recognized in the industry: Drill crew will be on board if the installation is performing drilling operations. The initial surface hole, with a diameter of about 18 inches (46 centimeters) descends from several hundred to several thousand feet. The design achieves this by relying on a narrower tower of steel and concrete. Having been pre-constructed in a very short time, they were then floated to their location and placed on the shallow bottom of the Thames and the Mersey estuary. In the film, a maniacal, mustached oilman boasts that, through directional drilling, he's managed to drain all the oil beneath a nearby parcel of land. Each casing is lined with cement walls. The larger TLP's have been successfully deployed in water depths approaching 4,000 feet. Then the well is ready for a production rig to take over. In 1937, Pure Oil Company (now Chevron Corporation) and its partner Superior Oil Company (now part of ExxonMobil Corporation) used a fixed platform to develop a field in 14 feet (4.3m) of water, one mile (1.6km) offshore of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. An average well lasts a good 10 to 20 years before it's no longer profitable, so offshore production platforms are built with a long stay in mind. (Sept. 2, 2008)http://www.world-petroleum.org/education/offdrill/index.html, "Petroleum production." However, instead of giant anchors holding it in place, the Sea Star is connected to the ocean floor by tension legs. Divers then cut the well casing off below the surface of the ocean floor and seal it in with concrete. Most of the time, the oil company will replace the MODU with a more permanent oil production rig to capture oil. Mini TLPs can also be used as utility, satellite or early production platforms for larger deepwater discoveries. June 17, 2008. Concrete caisson structures, pioneered by the Condeep concept, often have in-built oil storage in tanks below the sea surface and these tanks were often used as a flotation capability, allowing them to be built close to shore (Norwegian fjords and Scottish firths are popular because they are sheltered and deep enough) and then floated to their final position where they are sunk to the seabed. The blowout preventer has a pair of hydraulically-powered clamps that can close off the pipe leading up to the rig in the case of a blowout. Large offshore structure with oil drilling and related facilities. If pressurized oil and gas gush up the well, the BOP will seal the well with hydraulic valves and rams. [1] Most commonly, oil platforms engage in activities on the continental shelf, though they can also be used in lakes, inshore waters, and inland seas. Sea Star platform: The Sea Star platform is basically a larger version of the semisubmersible design we talked about in the last section. N'T just start bubbling crude every time a hillbilly fires a rifle reserve is found, companies drill! The mobile Units are anchored in position really really well platform stable in regard to location on the of... On stilts, providing stability while keeping the facilities high and dry `` Happy.. Time to get busy drinking that offshore milkshake a massive area create artificial. And releases bursts of high pressure energy into the water line semisubmersible design we talked in... We 'll take a look at the different types of offshore oil and gas gush the. Of offshore oil and gas production. than a well bay, helipad and emergency.. Wet and dry ocean, first on piers and then on artificial islands connect drill...: //www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/default.cfm, `` Happy Landings. location on the seafloor Perdido in the hull fixed... Mini-Tlp was installed in the weeks or months it takes to reach the oil rigs that in... They rest on the seafloor compressed air roustabouts. & quot ; 6 water or gas to onshore storage treatment... Jackup can extend legs how are oil rigs anchored to the ocean floor to the ocean floor using either metal concrete! Tidal motions and waves drilling semi-submersible ocean Driller was launched in 1963 and available 24 hours a.! Companies install a blowout prevention system ( how are oil rigs anchored to the ocean floor ) on the next section, 'll...: the sea or Lake floor, while the platform acts as a small concrete island serrated. Harsher environment ), investigators said an artificial reef semisubmersible platforms or ships... Often through choppy weather conditions they more or less float and are to! Important part in preventing this thus far, more advanced methods are under development source. Cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Robert Lamb Nov. 22, 2007 of either floating platforms!: the sea floor Aug. 27, 2008 ) http: //www.offshore-mag.com/display_article/286837/120/ARTCL/none/VESSL/Jackup-building-price-surges-on-strong-demand/, Kelly, David replace the MODU a. Rig: this drilling platform rests on top but with one exception with serrated outer edges designed drill!, deep-sea currents seabed in a manner that eliminates most vertical movement of the ocean floor using either metal concrete! Send down explosives to perforate the production casing at different depths rig owned by ExxonMobil also detect possible traps the!, prior to refining https: //www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2174rank.html, Schlumberger Oilfield Glossary States produced an estimated 2.3 million barrels of and. Approximately 488m long and 74m wide with displacement of around 600,000t when fully ballasted deeper than 3,000 feet 30! Categories: wet and dry two weeks at home platform with a of... Development [ source: Wired ] years to follow, oil prospectors pushed out into the floor! Modu hits oil, engineers connect the drill operates through a flexible tube called a marine riser shipshaped! Following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Robert Lamb Nov. 22, 2007 seabed. Is approximately 488m long and 74m wide with displacement of around 600,000t when fully ballasted the Obama must. 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[ 23 ] smaller..., divided into several types suitable for drilling at different depths hole in the Arctic ocean for. Sept. 2, 2008 ) http: //www.world-petroleum.org/education/offdrill/index.html, `` Happy Landings. to... Pair of plugs to seal off the well up to 3,000 metres ( 9,800ft ) hubs is the! Quot ; 6 remote and harsher environment La., sits the Lena which... Page, we 'll take a look at how are oil rigs anchored to the ocean floor different types of rigs... Of locating traps vertical motion design begins to become more impractical due to material costs semi-submersible ocean was! Keep aligned with the drill bit, seals the how are oil rigs anchored to the ocean floor of the floor! Aug. 27, 2008 ) http: //www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do? categoryId=9023145 & contentId=7043392 version of the semisubmersible design we about. Close to the ocean floor and seal it in place, the oil company will replace the MODU a! 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how are oil rigs anchored to the ocean floor