Submersible

The Uncle John semi-submersible drilling vessel will enter the Gulf of Mexico later this month to embark on a 35-day mission to test drilling through methane hydrates with two pairs of deep wells. Methane hydrate, which is called the “ice that burns” because it releases a flammable gas when it melts, may represent up to 200,000 Tcf of natural gas, according to the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy. But the industry is years away from understanding how to tap the resource.