Offshore oil drilling is an extraction technique which allows companies to access oil deposits under the ocean floor. Offshore drilling sites are typically situated over the continental shelf, although advancements in drilling technology have made platforms even further out to sea economically and physically feasible.
Offshore reservoirs can be identified through 3D seismic surveys, which scan the seabed to understand the rock formations. Sound waves are sent, received and decoded from the survey vessels to create 3D images, which depict the oil and natural gas pockets hidden between the porous rocks underneath the sea bed floor.