Course objectives:

The aim of the course is to enable students to appraise the process of making the offshore wells unlike drilling onshore (meaning of the natural environment, ecological requirements, construction norms and activities, legislation). Gaining knowledge about the diversity of offshore structures in accordance with the forces of the natural environment, water depth, technological requirements while drilling wells and setting up the jackets and platforms. Technical characteristics and operational capabilities of platforms and structures for drilling and production of hydrocarbons offshore.

Course content:

The course consists of the following units:

• continental shelf; maritime properties and structural characteristics of the vessels for offshore well drilling;
• jackets and production platforms, types of platforms;
• legislation in the field of offshore; international classification rules (acquiring certificate);
• basics of floating vessel stability; systematization of terms related to stability;
• components of the mooring system; basic design of the mooring system according to the shapes and types of platforms;
• maritime characteristics and technical characteristics of jack-up drilling rigs; preloading procedures;
• ways to make wellbore from the bottom supported platforms (batch drilling mode);
• semisubmersible platforms and drilling ships; differences in relation to other MODU units;
• towing; mooring and dynamic positioning;
• spar and tension leg platforms (TLP) for deep sea production;
• other subsea production systems; floating, productions, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels;
• simultaneous offshore operations; responsibility system;
• types of Croatian gas production platforms;
• scope of works in offshore, current situation and future works in the Adriatic sea.

Learning outcomes at the level of the course: 

• Compare and select basic technological processes during well drilling on water surfaces;
• Formulate technical and technological requirements for the selection of facilities for offshore drilling;
• Compare the basic ways of holding the vessel position on a given location;
• Distinguish types of production platforms;
• Recommend how to produce hydrocarbons from the seabed;
• Compare the basic differences of deep sea production systems;
• Evaluate technical norms for the use of certain types of drilling rigs as well as legal regulations in the field of maritime activities;
• Assess the associated risks inherent in offshore activities arising from a mix of simultaneous operations.