Offshore Gas Fields
Like oil, natural gas is often found underwater in offshore gas fields such as the North Sea, Corrib Gas Field off Ireland, and the Sable Offshore Energy Project in the Scotian Shelf near Sable Island. The technology utilized to extract and transport offshore natural gas is different from land-based fields in that a few, very large rigs are usually used, due to the cost and logistical difficulties in working over water. Rising gas prices have encouraged drillers to revisit fields that, until now, were not considered economically viable. For example, McMoran Exploration has passed a drilling depth of over 32,000 feet (9754 m) (the deepest test well in the history of gas production) at the Blackbeard site in the Gulf of Mexico. Exxon Mobil's drill rig had reached 30,000 feet by 2006 without finding gas; Exxon Mobil abandoned the site.
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