Exploratory Drilling on the Canadian Continental Shelf, Labrador Sea

The Labrador shelf is still in a very early stage of exploration. This paper discusses the factors that make exploratory drilling particularly difficult and shorten the operating season, such as ice packs, icebergs, and meteorology. After an unsuccessful attempt in 1971 to operate with a conventionally anchored vessel, a technological breakthrough came with the use of the Pelican, a dynamically positioned drillship. A description of this operation is presented, along with possible applications to other areas.