The day the main drill bit begins drilling into the ground—a process called spudding in—is referred to as the “spud date.” In cases of offshore oil rigs, the spud date occurs when the drill begins working on the seafloor, not when it first breaches the water.

Why is it called spudding a well?

The bit used to drive that guide pipe was a blunt-ended drilling device called a spud bit. Because of that process, those drilling machines came to be called “spudders” and from it developed the term “spudding,” or “spudding in,” to identify the beginning process of drilling an oil well.

What is rig release date?

rig release date means the date on which a rig last conducted well operations. ( date de libération de l’appareil de forage)