Oil platform

An offshore structure used to drill for, extract, process, or support the production of oil and natural gas. Platforms may be fixed to the seabed or float in deep water.

Fixed platform: An offshore platform supported by a rigid structure anchored to the seabed. Its seabed-supported jacket is a common solution in relatively shallow water.
Offshore drilling: The drilling of wells beneath the seabed from a vessel, platform, or other offshore installation. It is the operation that creates wells from which a platform can produce hydrocarbons.
Jack-up drilling rig: A mobile offshore drilling unit that raises its hull above the sea on extendable legs. It drills exploration or development wells in shallow water without serving as a permanent production platform.
Deepwater Horizon oil spill: The 2010 blowout and oil spill from the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico. The disaster exposed the severe consequences of failures in offshore well control and safety.
Gravity-based structure: A heavy offshore structure held in place mainly by its weight on the seabed. Unlike slender jacket platforms, it relies on a massive base for stability.
Compliant tower: A tall, flexible offshore structure designed to sway with waves and wind while remaining stable. Its controlled flexibility extends fixed-platform design into deeper water.
Subsea production system: Equipment installed on the seabed to control and process fluids from offshore wells. Subsea trees and manifolds connect remote wells to a platform or export system.
Drillship: A ship-shaped mobile offshore drilling unit equipped to drill through a moon pool. Drillships reach deepwater prospects beyond the practical range of seabed-supported platforms.
Piper Alpha disaster: The 1988 explosion and fire on the Piper Alpha North Sea production platform that killed 167 people. Its loss transformed offshore safety regulation and emergency-response practices.
Floating production system: An offshore facility that produces hydrocarbons while floating rather than standing directly on the seabed. Floating systems are alternatives when water depth makes fixed foundations uneconomic.

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Baku ArchipelagoRelated: Platforms are prominent industrial structures in the archipelago’s seascape.