Industry Lingo.

A plain-English field guide to the terms, acronyms and abbreviations used on the job.

• AFE — Authorization for Expenditure
• AHV — Anchor Handling Vessel
• API — American Petroleum Institute
• API Gravity
• Accumulator
• Autonomous Vessel
• Azimuth
• BHP — Bottomhole Pressure
• BOE / BOEPD — Barrel of Oil Equivalent / Per Day
• BOEM — Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
• BOP — Blowout Preventer
• BSEE — Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
• Bareboat Charter
• Brent Crude
• Bullheading
• Bunker
• CTV — Crew Transfer Vessel
• Casing
• Choke
• Christmas Tree — X-mas Tree
• Completion
• Conductor Casing
• Cushing
• DLS — Dogleg Severity
• DP — Dynamic Positioning
• DST — Drill Stem Test
• Day Rate
• Delaware Basin
• Directional Drilling
• Downstream
• Drawworks
• Drillship
• E&P — Exploration & Production
• EPCI — Engineering, Procurement, Construction & Installation
• ESD — Emergency Shutdown
• ETA
• Eagle Ford
• Emergency Muster
• FPSO — Floating Production, Storage & Offloading
• Fish / Fishing
• Flaring
• Formation Pressure
• Freeboard
• GOR — Gas-Oil Ratio
• Gas Lift
• GoM — Gulf of Mexico
• Haynesville Shale
• Henry Hub
• Hook Load
• Horizontal Drilling
• Hull
• H₂S — Hydrogen Sulfide
• IMO — International Maritime Organization
• IRM — Inspection, Repair & Maintenance
• Intermediate Casing
• J-Lay
• JOA — Joint Operating Agreement
• Jack-up Rig
• KB — Kelly Bushing
• KOP — Kickoff Point
• Kick
• LMRP — Lower Marine Riser Package
• LNG — Liquefied Natural Gas
• LWD — Logging While Drilling
• Liftboat
• Liner
• MODU — Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit
• MWD — Measurement While Drilling
• Marine Riser
• Midland Basin
• Midstream
• Moonpool
• Mud
• Mud Weight — MW
• NGL — Natural Gas Liquids
• NOAA — National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• NOC — National Oil Company
• NYMEX — New York Mercantile Exchange
• OCS — Outer Continental Shelf
• OFS — Oilfield Services
• OIM — Offshore Installation Manager
• OSV — Offshore Supply Vessel
• Open Hole
• P&A — Plug & Abandon
• PDC Bit — Polycrystalline Diamond Compact
• PSV — Platform Supply Vessel
• Packer
• Permian Basin
• Pig
• Proved Reserves
• Quay
• Quick-Connect
• ROP — Rate of Penetration
• ROV — Remotely Operated Vehicle
• Rig Count
• Riser
• Roughneck
• Roustabout
• SIMOPS — Simultaneous Operations
• SOLAS — Safety of Life at Sea
• Semisubmersible — Semi
• Slickline
• Sour Gas
• Spraberry
• Spud
• Stacked Pay
• Stacking
• TLP — Tension Leg Platform
• Toolpusher
• Trip
• Tubing
• USCG — US Coast Guard
• Ultradeepwater
• Umbilical
• Upstream
• VDL — Variable Deck Load
• VHF — Very High Frequency
• WHP — Wellhead Platform
• WOB — Weight on Bit
• WTI — West Texas Intermediate
• Watch Schedule
• Well Control
• Wireline
• Wolfcamp
• Working Interest — WI
• X-mas Tree — Christmas Tree
• Yield Point — YP
• Yield Strength
• Zero-Energy State