fig. 1.21 > Floating platforms like this spar buoy in the Gulf of Mexico are employed today for producing oil from especially great depths. To reach the reserves it is necessary to overcome not only the water depths, but also to drill almost equally deep into the sea floor, as shown in this example. To illustrate the scale, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the highest building in the world, is shown in the figure. © after Bryan Christie Design
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