<div class='node-body'><p>As the world continues its addiction to oil, &quot;ultra-deep&quot; wells -- those drilled 1.5 km (4,500 feet) deep or more -- are now at historic levels with no signs of abating, <em>Reuters</em> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/17/us-oil-offshore-scale-idUSBRE87G0N620120817">reports</a>.</p>
<p>The players in the deepwater game include the big oil names of BP, Chevron and Royal Dutch/Shell, which operates the deepest offshore well, nearly three kilometers under the U.S. Gulf.</p></div><div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-news-hp-image">
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