Gas hydrate formation in the drilling fluids and decomposition of in-situ hydrates from the hydrate zones are two serious problems that must be considered for safe operation and production in oil development projects. The problems caused by gas hydrates become more and more frequent as the exploration and production activities are taking place in remote offshore and deep environments. Also, dealing with hydrate production and drilling hydrate sediments demands innovative drilling mud systems for drilling success in hydrate sediments. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.