Bombay high oil field is the largest oil production and produces about sixty percent of the total crude oil of India. On the western coast, we also have the Bassein oil field that is located south of Bombay high. It was much smaller than the Bombay high but the oil reserves are larger than that of Bombay high but are located in the depth of 1,900 m under.

Offshore oil fields

The largest offshore oil fields in India are the Mumbai high field. It was formerly called “the Bombay high field”. It is on the western coast of Mumbai and stretches for about 176 km.

The oil and natural gas corp(ONGC) is going to become the future of energy in the western region. There are two parts of the plan to become the biggest in India. Firstly the company will lease out parts of the existing units. Secondly, they will complete the pipeline work and take over the dying tapti field.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages of offshore oil fields are-

  1. Offshore increases the supply of oil and we don’t have to just rely on the onshore oil fields
  2. It increases more job opportunities for the locals living in the
  3. It helps with the economy and balances it.
  4. It provides a good reliance on energy for the country.
  5. Offshores, under the ocean bed, have an abundance of oil resources.

Disadvantages of offshore oil fields are-

  1. Offshore drilling is very dangerous. It causes a huge impact in case of an oil spill and damages the water
  2. The oil affects the birds which won’t be able to fly on the coasts covered with oil. In case of an accident, it could kill thousands of birds.
  3. Working in such oil fields is a very risky and isolated job located very far from emergency services.

Largest offshore oil field

The largest offshore oil fields in the world are-

1. Safaniya oil field

Safaniya oil fields, located in the Persian Gulf, is the biggest oil field in the world. Its recoverable reserves are about 36 billion barrels. It is owned by Saudi Aramco.

2. Upper zakum oil field

Upper zakum oil fields are located in the Persian Gulf as well and are owned by Abu Dhabi national oil company, ExxonMobil and Japan oil development company. The recoverable reserves in the upper zakum oil fields are about 21 billion barrels.

3. Manifa oil field

Manifa oil fields are located in the Persian Gulf and they are owned by Saudi Aramco. It is on the southeast of the Safaniya field in the Persian Gulf and is estimated to produce 2,00,000 barrels a day. The recoverable reserves are about 13 billion barrels.

4. Kashagan oil field

Kashagan oil fields are located in the Caspian sea and they are owned by Kaz munay gas, Eni, Shell, ExxonMobil, total, ConocoPhillips and index. The total recoverable reserves are 9 billion barrels.

5. Lula oil field

Lula oil fields are located in the Santos basin of brail. It is owned by Petrobras, BG Group and galp energia. It was previously called the “Tupi field”. The recoverable reserves are 6.5 billion barrels.

Onshore

Onshore oil fields, as the name suggests, are the oil fields that are developed on land.

The world’s largest onshore oil fields are-

  1. Ghawar, Saudi Arabia
  2. Spraberry/wolf camp, united states of America
  3. Greater Burgan, Kuwait
  4. Carabobo 1, Venezuela
  5. Khuris, Saudi Arabia

Mangala field, located in Rajasthan is the largest onshore oil discovery in India. Mangala, Aishwarya, and Chogyam fields together gross 2.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent.

Onshore and offshore

Onshore oil fields operate on land away from the ocean, while the offshore oil fields rig and explore under the bed of the ocean. Drilling onshore is much easier because drilling on the hard earth surface provides natural stability, while drilling offshore is a bigger and harder challenge as it is under the great depth of water. Stability is a major concern in offshore oil fields.

Conclusion

The biggest oil field in the world is the Safaniya oil field, located in the Persian Gulf. Its recoverable reserves are about 36 billion barrels, the biggest oil field on the west coast in the Mumbai high oil fields and it provides 60 percent of the crude oil in India. Offshore oil fields are very dangerous and hard to drill in but the ocean beds are filled with abundance of oil and it helps the economy of the country.