The distribution of global deepwater basins is characterized by a basic framework of  “double vertical and horizontal” arrangements. The “double vertical” arrangements refer to two groups of deepwater basins with a submeridional distributional framework, i.e. Atlantic offshore deepwater basins and West Pacific offshore deepwater basins. The “double horizontal” arrangements stand for two groups of deepwater basins with a sublatitudinal distributional framework, i.e. offshore deepwater basins of the Neotethys structural domain and offshore deepwater basins in the circum-North Pole area. The Atlantic offshore deepwater basins and the offshore deepwater basins of the Neotethys structural domain have been controlled by the “east-west extension” and “north-south convergency” of the Earth since Mesozoic, respectively.