Resumen del autor, extraído del trabajo. It is known within the oil industry that petroleum exists in sedimentary basins under the world’s oceans out to significant water depths1. Future exploitation of these resources will rely on a number of important issues related to field development strategy that affect critical decisions that must be addressed prior to project commitment. Uncertainties around issues such as: reservoir risk, commercial terms, infrastructure, oil price, political and regulatory stability as well as the creation and application of advanced technologies must be considered before future fields in these depths can be economically developed. Creation of advanced technologies is one of the areas that Conoco Inc. is pursuing to develop tools and processes to enable hydrocarbon development to become a reality for deep water. Future technological advancements will span a wide cadre of engineering challenges. Briefly discussed below are three examples of these advancements where Conoco is investing time and resources to meet a portion of them: Deep Water Drillships - These vessels are addressing the long-term need for exploration and development drilling capability. To turn this need in to a reality, Conoco formed a strategic alliance with Reading & Bates Falcon that designed, built, commissioned and is now operating two of these state-of-the-art vessels. Subsea Mudlift - A new drilling process and associated equipment are being developed to enable ultra-deep water wells to be drilled. Strategic Integration - Deep water engineers are investigating new field development approaches and promising new technologies. The right concept utilizing new and innovative technologies is being established to ensure that the best solution (least risk, lowest cost and highest value) is used for the company’s future field developments.