Before talking about record hitting wells, we have to define what we measure
- The longest well would be a measure of total well length
- The deepest well would be a measure of maximum well length
- The most profound well would be a measure of maximum vertical depth
The difference between total measured depth (or total meters drilled) and maximum measured depth becomes apparent when assessing multilateral wells, where the sum of drilled legs length far exceed maximum MD reached by individual legs.
The difference between maximum measured depth and vertical depth stems from the wide adoption of horizontal and directional drilling, where horizontal depths reach out far from well heads, without going to great vertical depths.
The longest well in Canada
Multilateral wells amass vast number of meters drilled, when well depth is multiplied by an order of magnitude as wells are drilled with 10 or more legs. It is telling that while less than 15% of wells drilled in Canada in 2024 were multilateral geometries, almost 50% of the meters drilled were multilateral meters.
The top wells by total meters drilled in Canada (and most probably in the world) are listed here:
Honorable Mention: Well drilled by Lycos is the longest well (by cumulative meters) drilled in Saskatchewan.
- Well name: LLYCOS HZ 107 NORTHMINSTER 12-29-50-27W3
- UWID: 107/12-29-050-27W3/0
- Operator: Lycos Energy
- Directional drilling: Pacesetter
- Legs: 30
- Total meters drilled: 16,981 meters (55,711 ft)
- Maximum depth: 2,259 meters (7,411 ft)
- TVD: 540 meters (1,771 ft)
- Target: Sparky Formation
- Drilled: August 2023
No.3: A nine leg wells drilled by Tamarack in 2024 in two benches, immediately adjacent to 103/3-18, (the record holder)
- Well name: TVE 4-30 HZ 102 MARTENH 4-18-75-25
- UWID: 102/04-18-075-25W4/0
- Operator: Tamarack Valley Resources
- Directional drilling: Cathedral/Altitude
- Legs: 9
- Total drilled: 27,140 meters (89,041 ft)
- Maximum depth: 4,035 meters (13,238 ft)
- TVD: 652 meters (2,050 ft)
- Target: Clearwater Formation
- Drilled: January 2024
No. 2: Record holder for longest well (by cumulative meters drilled) between 2016 and December 2023. Record holder for largest number of legs drilled in a multilateral well.
- Well name: Penn West Hz Walrus 13-1-83-18W5
- UWID: 100/15-01-083-18W5/0
- Operator: Obsidian Energy
- Directional drilling: Halliburton
- Legs: 47
- Total drilled: 28,905 meters (94,832 ft)
- Maximum depth: 3,124 meters (10,249 ft)
- TVD: 657 meters (2,155 ft)
- Target: Bluesky Formation
- Drilled: 2016
No.1: Record holder for longest well (by cumulative meters drilled) in Canada since December 2023. Legs are drilled in a wine rack geometry, in 3 stacked benches, and reach out for two miles.
- Well name: TVE 4-30 HZ 102 MARTENH 3-18-75-25W4
- UWID: 102/03-18-075-25W4/0
- Operator: Tamarack Valley Resources
- Directional drilling: Cathedral/Altitude
- Legs: 11
- Total meters drilled: 33,636 meters (110,354 ft)
- Maximum depth: 4,071 meters (13,356 ft)
- TVD: 657 meters (2,155 ft)
- Target: Clearwater Formation
- Drilled: December 2023
The deepest well in Canada
Crescent Point (renamed Veren around that time) was the record holder for deepest well in the Western Canadian Sedimentary basin from 2024 to 2025
- Well name: CPEC HZ FC704E ANTEN 7-16-65-23W5
- UWID: 100/07-16-065-23W5/0
- Operator: Crescent Point Energy
- Directional company: Pacesetter
- Total depth: 9,017 meters (29,583 ft)
- TVD: 3,352 meters (10,997 ft)
- Lateral length: 5,432 meters (17,821 ft)
- Target: Duvernay Formation
- Drilled: January to March 2024
Kiwetinohk was the record holder in the Western Canadian Sedimentary basin from January to May 2025.
- Well name: KIWETINOHKENERGY SAXON 12-4-62-24W5
- UWID: 102/12-04-062-24W5/00
- Operator: Kiwetinohk Energy
- Directional company: Pacesetter
- Total depth: 9,023 meters (29,603 ft)
- TVD: 3,838 meters (12,591 ft)
- Target: Duvernay Formation
- Drilled: March 2024
Paramount is the record holder in the Western Canadian Sedimentary and onshore Canada since May 2025
- Well name: PARA HZ 104 WILLGR 4-15-38-6W5
- UWID: 104/04-15-038-06W5/0
- Operator: Paramount Resources
- Directional company: Phoenix Technology
- Total depth: 9,060 meters (29,724 ft)
- TVD: 3,487 meters (11,430 ft)
- Target: Duvernay Formation
- Drilled: January 2025 to May 2025
Exxon Hibernia B-16 36: Second deepest well in Canada
- Well name: HMDC Hibernia B-16 36
- UWID: 336B164650048450
- Operator: Hibernia Development Company
(ExxonMobil, Chevron, Suncor, CHHC, Murphy, Equinor) - Directional company: Schlumberger
- Total depth: 9,356.61 meters (30,697 ft)
- TVD: 3,960.17 meters (12,992 ft)
- Location: Jeanne d’Arc Basin, 315km East of St John’s, Newfoundland
- Target: Hibernia Formation
- Drilled: September 2002 to January 2004
Exxon Hibernia B-16 56: deepest well in Canada
- Well name: HMDC Hibernia B-16 56 (OPA2)
- UWID: 356B164650048450
- Operator: Hibernia Development Company
(ExxonMobil, Chevron, Suncor, CHHC, Murphy, Equinor) - Directional company: Schlumberger
- Total depth: 10,122m (33,208 ft)
- TVD: 4,173.21m (13,691 ft)
- Location: Jeanne d’Arc Basin, 315km East of St John’s, Newfoundland
- Target: targeting oil in the Hibernia Formation, TD in Fortune Bay Formation
- Drilled: July 2009 to May 2010
The deepest well in the world
Texas: The deepest well onshore Texas was drilled by EOG in the Eagle Ford Formation in 2024.
- Well name: EOG Aspen A 1H
- UWID: 4231137487
- Operator: EOG Resources
- Directional company:
- Total depth: 32,525 ft (9,913 meters)
- TVD: 10,261 ft (3,127 meters)
- Lateral length: 22,318 ft (6,802 meters)
- Target: Eagle Ford Shale
- Drilled: March to April 2024
USA: The deepest well in USA is Shell GB962-02, drilled offshore in the Gulf of Mexico in 2021
- Well name: Shell Garden Banks GB962-02
- UWID: 6080740326
- Operator: Shell
- Total depth: 35,430 ft (10,799 meters)
- TVD: 34,378 ft (10,478 meters)
- Drilled: 2021
Russia: Exxon/Neftogas drilled a 15,000 meter long well in the Arctic ocean offshore Sakhalin Island in 2017.
- Well name: Orlan Sakhalin-1 O15
- Operator: Exxon, Rosneft
- Total depth: 15,000 meters (49,212 ft)
- Drilled: 2017
United Arab Emirates: ADNOC drilled the longest well in the world from their Umm Al Anbar artificial island in the Persian Gulf
- Well name: Umm Al Anbar Zakum
- Operator: ADNOC/Exxon
- Total depth: 15,240 meters (50,000 ft)
- Target: Upper Zakum reservoir
- Location: Um al Anbar Island, Upper Zakum oil field, Persian Gulf, UAE
- Drilled: 2022
The most profound well in the world
Germany: drilled as part of the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and International Continental Scientific Drilling Programme (ICDP) effort to study the continental crust
- Well name: KTB (Continental Deep Drilling Programme)
- Total depth: 9,101 meters (29,858 ft)
- TVD: 9,101 meters (29,858 ft)
- Location: Windischeschenbach, Bavariaa, Germany
- Drilled: 1987-1994 (1,468 days)
USA: Bertha Rogers borehole, drilled in 1972-1974, reached a total depth of 9,583 meters in a vertical well
- Well name: Bertha Rogers 1–27
- Operator: Lone Star Producing Company (abandoned)
- Total depth: 9,583 meters (31,441 ft)
- TVD: 9,583 meters (31,441 feet)
- Target: Granite Wash
- Location: Burns Flat, Washita County, Oklahoma
- Drilled: October 1972 to April 1974
Russia: Well SG-3 Kola, drilled in the northern part of the Kola peninsula, targeted the Mohorovicic discontinuity and is the most profound well in the world, drilled vertically to 12,262 meters depth.
- Well name: SG-3 Kola
- Total depth: 12,262 meters (40,230 ft)
- TVD: 12,262 meters (40,230 ft)
- Target: Mohorovicic discontinuity
- Location: Zapolyarny, Murmansk, Russia
- Drilled: 1965
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