ANDRILL

ANDRILL Antarctic Scientific Drilling Project

Scientific drilling operations, Equipment design & commissioning, Technical consultancy

2001-2007

Antarctica

DRILL Program

Antarctic Drilling Project

ANDRILL (ANtarctic DRILLing Project) was a multinational scientific drilling project investigating past Antarctic climate through sediment core recovery. The project required drilling through floating ice shelves more than 100 metres thick into water depths exceeding 800 metres, representing a major technological challenge.

Webster Drilling was involved from the early planning stages through to operational completion, contributing to the design, procurement and commissioning of the specialised drilling system. Our team also provided personnel and supervision of drilling operations in one of the world’s most extreme environments.

The project successfully recovered sediment cores, creating one of the most complete climate records from Antarctica, with both drill sites achieving record depths of 1,285 m and 1,139 m below the seafloor, with 98 per cent core recovery.

Environmental Challenges:

Drilling operations on the floating Ross Ice Shelf (100–150 m thick)
Water depths exceeding 800 m beneath the ice
Extreme Antarctic operating conditions
Remote location with complex logistics

Technical Requirements:

Custom drilling system for ice shelf operations
High core recovery rates for scientific analysis
Specialised equipment for extreme cold conditions
Two drilling phases at separate locations

Project Phases:

McMurdo Ice Shelf (MIS) site: 1,285 m depth
Southern McMurdo Sound (SMS) site: 1,139 m depth
Continuous sediment core recovery spanning 20 million years

Webster Drilling’s involvement spanned the entire project lifecycle.

Planning & Development (2001–2006):

Key contributor to drilling system design
Equipment specification and procurement support
Development of Antarctic operational procedures

Operational Success:

Achieved record drilling depths for the Antarctic continent
Exceptional 98 per cent core recovery across both phases
Successful operations in extreme environmental conditions
Zero environmental incidents

Scientific Impact:

The project delivered a continuous 20-million-year climate record, providing critical data for understanding global climate change and Antarctic ice-sheet behaviour.

Webster Drilling’s ANDRILL experience demonstrates our capability to operate in the world’s most challenging environments while maintaining the precision required for critical scientific research.