The History of Artificial Islands for Oil Exploration and Development in the Alaskan Artic

Abstract

Abstract Eighteen artificial (man-made) islands have been constructed in the AlaskanBeaufort Sea to support oil exploration and production. The first islands, constructed in the late 1970s, were in shallow nearshore waters where wave andice conditions are relatively benign. By the early 1980s, island constructionhad ventured to more exposed sites with water depths approaching 15 m. Innovative slope protection systems and construction methods were developed toaddress the remote Arctic locations, short construction seasons, scarce localresources, and the challenging, yet poorly defined, offshore wave and iceclimate. This paper provides an overview of the history of island developmentin the Alaskan Arctic and discusses design evolution, construction, andperformance.