"Over the next five years it is expected that 15,000 offshore wells will be drilled worldwide, at a total cost of some $189 billion. Of these wells nearly 4,500 will be exploratory costing $75 billion, and around 10,500 will be development, costing $114bn. It is estimated that drilling and completion expenditure in 2003 was $36 billion. Spending levels are expected to grow somewhat over the next two years and then decline slightly, stabilising at about $37 billion per year." These are among the findings of the second edition of The World Offshore Drilling Report, published by Douglas-Westwood. The largest change that is forecast by the energy analysts is continuing growth in deepwater drilling (over 500 m water depth) which contrasts with a long-term decline in shallow water activity.