Seabed supported unit and method to provide a shallow water drilling terminal

摘要

Various embodiments relate to a method and a seabed supported base structure for providing a shallow water drilling terminal, where a prefabricated floating seabed substructure is towed to site, ballasted to rest on the seabed and/or piled to the seabed forming a seabed foundation. The seabed supported base structure is provided with at least one cantilevered unit with openings for drilling of wells, projecting sideways out from the exterior side of a vertical wall, terminated above sea level. A prefabricated floating drilling module provided with an outrigger with sidewise movable drilling device is towed to the site, guided into the seabed substructure through an opening in the wall structure at the periphery of the base structure, ballasted and mated onto the base structure, whereupon wells are drilled from a drilling gear. Upon completed drilling and operation of the wells, the drilling unit is removed and substituted by a production unit.