Oil platform

An oil platform is a large structure used to house workers and machinery needed to drill for oil (and often natural gas as well) in the ocean. Depending on the circumstances, the platform may be attached to the ocean floor, consist of an artificial island, or be floating.

The Baldpate Compliant Tower owned by the Amerada Hess Corporation is an oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico, which stands 579 m (1902 feet) above the ocean floor. This structure is partially supported by buoyancy. Depending on the criteria is may be the World's tallest structure.

In practice, these larger platforms are assisted by smaller ESVs (emergency support vessels) like the British Iolair that are summoned when something has gone wrong, e.g. a search and rescue operation is required.

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