Offshore drilling has come a long way since the wharf-based rigs of the late 1800s, giving oil companies an arsenal of options for tapping deep-sea deposits.

Transocean’s (RIG) drilling revenue for 1Q16 was $1.34 billion, nearly 28% lower than $1.85 billion in the previous quarter and 34% lower than the $2 billion in revenue in 1Q15. Transocean earns ...

Rotary Drilling Rig - Global Market Outlook (2016-2022) - By Rig Type, Application & Geography - Research and Markets December 27, 2017 08:11 AM Eastern Standard Time ...

But choosing the correct rig type is about more than the depth it can drill; it's also about how mobility, environmental conditions, and cost affect offshore operations.

One of two types of bottom-supported MODUs (the other being the much less popular submersible rig), jackup rigs rest on the sea floor rather than float.