Chevron Brings Newly Designed Ultra-Deepwater Drillship to Gulf of Mexico

In a recent press release, Chevron Corporation announced that a deepwater drillship owned by Chevron subsidiary Chevron U.S.A. Inc. has begun work in the Gulf of Mexico. This ship, the Discoverer Clear Leader, is a state-of-the-art vessel that surpasses all previous technology, with drilling capacities of 40,000 feet (12,200 m) and capable of working in 12,000 feet (3,650 m) of water. This ship is part of the Company's five year contract with Transocean to explore deepwater drilling in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

The Discoverer Clear Leader is the first of two new drillships commissioned by Chevron. It features special technology developed by Transocean. Designed to save time and money in deepwater well construction, the drillship has dual-activity drilling technology that can drill parallel operations from a single derrick. The completion of its partner drillship, the Discoverer Inspiration, is anticipated in early 2010. The Discoverer Clear Leader will be working at several of Chevron's deepwater projects in the Gulf, including Tahiti and Jack/St. Malo.

"The Discoverer Clear Leader offers the most-advanced drilling capabilities in the offshore drilling industry and will enable Chevron to expand the search for new domestic sources of energy," said George Kirkland, executive vice president, Upstream and Gas, Chevron.

This project combines two of Chevron's strong suits: work in the Gulf of Mexico, and drilling capabilities. The Company has a solid history of work in the Gulf's deepwaters. They are one of the top lease holder and producers in the area. The Company also holds the current world water-depth drilling record, having drilled under an astounding 10,011 feet (3,051 m) of water in the Gulf of Mexico.