History of Offshore Oil
Evolution of Exploration and Development
The exploration of offshore oil and natural gas resources began in the late 1800s. In 1896, an offshore well was drilled off the coast of Summerland, California, 38 years after the first oil well was drilled onshore in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Oil and natural gas seeps observed along the seashore at low tide encouraged further development of this area. In 1887, H.L. Williams came up with the idea of building a wharf and erecting a drilling rig on it. His first offshore well extended about 90 meters (300 feet) into the ocean. As expected, it was a good producer, and before…
