Current and Future Developments

Directional drilling has benefited from many new tools and techniques over the past 10 years. In expensive offshore areas this new technology has been widely accepted as a means of improving efficiency and reducing drilling costs. In 1984 it was estimated that 25% of the world’s gas and 20% of its oil came from offshore fields. As more and more of the easily accessible land-based reserves become depleted there will be a drift towards moving into more hostile environments and deeper offshore waters. Directional drilling is likely to play an increasingly important role in satisfying the world’s demand for oil and natural gas over the next few decades.