The Gulltopp well on the Gullfaks field has been completed, setting a world record for the longest producing well from an offshore platform, according to StatoilHydro.
Offshore staff
STAVANGER -- The Gulltopp well on the Gullfaks field has been completed, setting a world record for the longest producing well from an offshore platform, according to StatoilHydro. Hydrocarbons were flowing up through the well at 9,910 m (32,513 ft).
The 10-km (6.2-mi) drill pipe was controlled from the drilling rig at the sea surface. It was run 150 m (492 ft) down to the seabed, and then sequentially down through various types of rock strata.
"This is a day of rejoicing both for Gullfaks and StatoilHydro," says Arne Sigve Nylund, the head of Operations West in StatoilHydro. "We were aware of the risk that Gulltopp drilling from the platform might fail. This makes it extra great that we today have successfully completed the company's most demanding drilling operation."