A spar, named for logs used as buoys in shipping and moored in place vertically, is a type of floating oil platform typically used in very deep waters. Spar production platforms have been developed as an alternative to conventional platforms. [1]
A spar platform consists of a large-diameter, single vertical cylinder supporting a deck.
The first spar platform in the Gulf of Mexico was installed in September 1996.[2]
The world's deepest platform is the Perdido in the Gulf of Mexico, floating in 2,438 meters of water. It is operated by Royal Dutch Shell and was built at a cost of $3 billion.[3]