What a difference a few decades makes: Exploration History of the US Gulf of Mexico Deepwater

Cindy A. Yeilding, David Rainey and Jay Thorseth, BP

Exploration in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico has been ongoing since the first successful offshore well in the 1940s. “Deepwater” exploration began in the 1970s, with success in the upper slope Flex Trend in the late 1970s-early 1980s. Industry moved into deepwater water (>1000’) en masse with the 1985 area-wide OCS lease sales. Since 1980, the GoM has produced ~3 mmboe per day and the US Gulf of Mexico currently supplies ~25% of US domestically produced oil. The Deepwater GoM currently contributes over of half of this production.

Early exploration yielded success in a number of seismic attribute-related upper Miocene and younger discoveries.robust structural culminations, many of which were partially or completely subsalt. Most recent drilling activity has yielded a series  The second phase of drilling focused on older Miocene stratigraphy, and on testing of oil discoveries in the Paleogene (Lower Tertiary) strata of the deepwater, and Industry is currently testing the Paleogene play northwards as it targets deep gas trends under the shallow-water Gulf of Mexico shelf.

Technology has played a critical role in the exploration, appraisal and development of these discoveries. Early exploration in the basin was done on sparse 2D seismic, quickly moving into area-wide 3D speculative seismic shoots which collectively span most of the central and western Gulf of Mexico. This geophysical database is currently being refreshed by a new generation of multi-azimuth data which is yielding significant improvements in imaging. Drilling, completion and production technologies are continually moving forward, with the GoM playing a significant role in driving deepwater technology development for our “High-tech” industry.