The offshore petroleum industry has become a huge, distinct branch of the oil and gas industry in a relatively short time. Since its official beginnings only 50 years ago when explorers ventured from land into the open ocean to extract oil and gas from beneath the ocean bottom, the industry has taken astounding leaps in technical and commercial know-how.
Pioneering Offshore : The Early Years takes over-water petroleum development from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century through the mid-1960s. In addition to the historical narrative, interwoven into Pioneering Offshore are stories from this time period obtained from in-depth interviews of more than 125 industry pioneers, providing a historical context for their contributions in the industry’s advancement and in the development of its distinct technologies.
As intended, Pioneering Offshore provides a narrative that, while as chronologically and historically accurate as possible, remains true also to the industry’s human spirit. This new book offers an intimate feel for the industry’s early years and will be essential to grasping the enormous scope of the search for offshore oil and gas during subsequent decades.
Preface : Too Big for one Book : The History of Offshore Exploration and Production
Part I : In the Wet : The Earliest Pioneers
Chapter 1 : Turnin to the Right
Chapter 2 : Offshore Drilling : An Old “New” Concept
Chapter 3 : Sometimes a Hunch Pays Off
Chapter 4 : The Quest for Rig Mobility
Part II : Wading Out With History
Chapter 5 : Loading Up and Moving Out : Offshore Transport
Chapter 6 : Keeping Decks Dry in Deeper Water : Bold New Rig Designs
Chapter 7 : Listening for Oil
Chapter 8 : Offshore Platforms : Wrapping Wells in Jackets of Steel
Part III : The World Offshore-Deep and Dangerous
Chapter 9 : Industry Growth Calls Attention to OCS Ownership
Chapter 10 : Barges and Ships Plunge Drillers into Deeper Water
Chapter 11 : Semis and Drillships : Industry Chants `Anchors Away`
Chapter 12 : Nature, the Human Element Threaten Industry’s Future
Part IV : Old Lessons and New : On-the-Job Learning
Chapter 13 : Preventing the Offshore Nightmare : Wild Wells
Chapter 14 : “Million-Dollar School” Rings Deepwater Bell
Chapter 15 : Diving : The Fraternity of Loners
Chapter 16 : Digging and Lying : The Offshore Pipeline Story
Part V : The International Scene and Observations
Chapter 17 : In Time, the Soviets and Latin Americans Peer Seaward
Epilogue : Thunder Bay and the Real James Stewart(s)
Acknowledgements and Recommended Reading
The Offshore Energy Center Story
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Index
About the Author
