INTRODUCTION

1.1. 1998/1999 summer season was the second drill season for Cape Roberts Project and throughout this report will be referred to as CRP2 to distinguish it from the previous season: CRP1 1997/98.

1.2. CRP1 was terminated prematurely when a storm in late October broke up the sea ice near the Drill Site and threatened the safety of personnel and equipment. The drill site was located 15.25 kilometres east of Cape Roberts, over a water depth of 150 metres. A drill depth of 147.7 metres below sea floor (m bsf) was reached with a core recovery rate of 86%.

1.3. CRP1 exposed a number of inadequacies in the drilling system, the most serious involving the sea riser. Some parts of the sea riser (that part of the drill system suspended in the water) had design and manufacturing defects. Questions were also raised about the ability of the sea riser to withstand the strong currents in the drill site area. Another problem was the difficulty of embedding the sea riser in the sea floor. In the off-season significant and costly modifications were made to the sea riser.