The Endeavor, a jackup rig owned by Buccaneer Energy, appeared out our front window Friday. It will be in the deep water dock for about a week undergoing preparations for drilling in Cook Inlet. It's difficult to convey the size of this thing. Towed with its 410 foot legs up its as high as a 28 story building. The rig is on a transport ship that itself dwarfs the boats nearby. The transport ship will be sunk to its wheelhouse and three tugs will pull the rig off to leave it floating. A jackup rig, which is moveable, is used for exploratory drilling. When it's positioned over the drilling site the legs extend down to rest solidly on the seafloor. The Endeavor can go into water depths of 300 feet and drill thousands of feet into the ocean floor. When a producing well is discovered the jackup rig is removed and a stationary platform built.
Thank goodness (or the people with the foresight to protect our resources) currently there is a moratorium on drilling in Kachemak Bay.
