fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractThis paper presents the requirements for a drilling rig to drill in up to 10,000 ft of water using a pressured riser.An analysis of deepwater wells drilled was carried out to determine what characteristics (Water depth, drilled depth, number of casing strings etc..) these wells had. A "look forward" portfolio of wells was constructed as the target for the design of the rig. A full QRA was conducted to examine the impact of emerging technologies such as Expandables and Dual Gradient and to determine which choices for rig components were appropriate.The paper includes an outline rig design for deepwater for West Africa and one for GOM operations. An outline specification for the well systems (BOP, riser configuration) is also included.