Prediction of Weather Operating Windows for Offshore Drilling Vessels

A management 'tool' for predicting Weather Operating Windows for offshore drilling operations has been developed and tested for the dynamic positioning drillship PETREL. It is shown that two measures are required in making such an assessment: the persistence of vessel heave response as it affects drilling operations and the probable downtimes with respect to each drilling operation throughout the year for the geographical location of interest. The study includes a detailed meteorological/oceanographic investigation of the physical environmental conditions for some Canadian east coast marine areas.