Chinese oil company CNOOC has this week completed the drilling of the first development well at the Lingshui 17-2 (LS 17-2) gas field development in the South China Sea, offshore China.
The info, along with the photos, was shared by CIMC-Raffles, the owner of the Bluewhale I semi-submersible drilling rig, that was used for the operation.
"The water depth of this well is more than 1,200 meters, and the completion depth is nearly 4,200 meters," CIMC said.
The ultra-deepwater drilling unit built by CIMC Raffles is able to operate in a water depth of 3,658 meters and has a drilling depth capability of up to 15,240 meters.
It is designed with dual hoisting tower and facilities with DP3 system and preliminary mooring position system. The rig is 117 meters long, 92.7 meters wide, 118 meters tall. It weighs 43,000 tons.
Lingshui 17-2
As for the Lingshui 17-2 project, the field is located in the east Lingshui Sag area of the Qiongdongnan Basin. The gas discovery was announced in 2014.
According to, the initial phase of the Lingshui subsea production system will comprise 11 subsea trees tied back to the new gas production semi-submersible platform via four manifolds. The production start is scheduled in 2021.
Also per WorldEnergyReports, CNOOC is the operator of Lingshui 17-2 and has 51% interest, with Husky recently acquiring a 20% interest, and Shell 29%, respectively.