[Ursus arctos horribilis]

And no Major seldom runs the risk of going it alone, almost all outlays are joint ventures by percentage wise. When one sees a platform or field, the signs may all be Chevron, or say Shell. But they are either the major joint venture investor, or, they were elected by the other joint owners as operator of the lease or facility.

The Major I worked for was not one of the true giants, but we had a excellent reputation as cost effective operators. Often even when a lesser joint venture owner, we operated many fields and offshore platforms.

[thackney]

Your experience matches mine. On the slope there is a single operator for a facility but multiple owners. Sometimes there are different owners for different fields drilled into from the same facility. Risks, Profits and Investments are all shared.