Offshore, numerous multilateral wells are drilled horizontally through production zones from a single vertical wellbore. Like outsized perforations, they form tunnels through which oil and gas reach the main well and are carried to the surface.
Drilling and completing multilaterals enhances production by maximising the formation area exposed to the wellbore.
Typically, drilling, casing and cementing a single vertical with laterals is less costly than spudding and completing numerous horizontal wells.
