Risk management of Moored Mobile Offshore Drilling Units in the Western Pacific Ocean

The significant number of Moored Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs) that lost station in hurricanes Ivan, Katrina, and Rita has resulted in changes in the way offshore deepwater drilling risk is managed. Risk assessment is now a requirement for temporary MODU moorings operating on the United States´ Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The nature of such operations does not allow for long lead-time assessment and thus requires a rapid method to allow for timely well planning, equipment management and permit approval. This paper will outline a now commonly used process of assessing site-specific risk of operating a moored MODU on a wide variety of current offshore locations in the US Gulf of Mexico and draw insight to implementing similar processes to the Western Pacific Ocean.