Introduction

Offshore drilling represents nearly 50 per cent of offshore capex within the global E&P business. This report has been prepared in recognition of drilling’s importance to the turnover of almost every oil and gas company and service provider working in the sector. Drilling has a fundamental role in the location and extraction of all the oil and gas production that can be realized from offshore locations.

The report explains, quantifies and costs the offshore drilling market, providing historic drilling and spending trends and forecast trends over the period 2010 to 2014. It presents a series of estimates and forecasts for drilling and spending on all offshore wells and discusses key drilling events in each country. It also provides a regional synthesis of shallow versus deep water spending and exploratory versus development spending, and includes a broad discussion of new and improved drilling technology, looking at how this may affect the drilling spend market over subsequent years.

Key findings and highlights

• A rounded total of 1,920 wells were drilled in Africa from 2005 to 2009, with nearly 70 per cent in West Africa and around 20 per cent in Egypt. An approximate total of 2,475 exploratory and development wells are forecast to be drilled over the next five years, with over half expected to be located in deep waters.
• A rounded total of 1,430 wells were drilled offshore the Middle East from 2005 to 2009, with 98 per cent in the Gulf, almost all of which were development wells. Around 2,000 exploratory and development wells are forecast over the next five years.
• Over the last five years it is estimated that nearly 2,500 shallow water wells were drilled in the region. Meanwhile around 1,150 deep water wells were drilled. Over the next five years it is forecast that around 3,170 shallow water wells will be drilled accompanied by around 1,310 deep water wells.

Reasons to buy

• Develop a drilling investment strategy targeted around exploration and production hotspots 
• Evaluate likely technology driven growth opportunities created by the medium term evolution of the drilling sector 
• Analyze how drilling spending patterns will vary between different technology sectors and geographies over a five-year forecast period

• Catalyst
• Content summary
• Methodology

• Introduction
• Results and conclusions

• Foundations of drilling
• The offshore drilling rig
• Deep water drilling
• The current rig market
• Current global well numbers

• Introduction
• Exploration wells
• Appraisal wells
• Development wells
• Rotary drilling procedures
• Rotary drilling mechanics
• Services: rigs
• Services: geoscience
• Services: engineering
• Services: support

• Africa Introduction
• North and Northwest Africa
• West Africa
• South and East Africa
• The Middle East introduction
• Regional Drilling Summary

• Introduction
• The spending model
• Africa
• The Middle East
• Regional Spending Summary

• Introduction
• Evolving drilling techniques
• The longer-term future
• Conclusion

• Industry abbreviations
• Data sources
• Conventions used
• Ask the analyst
• Datamonitor consulting
• Disclaimer