Shell and Chevron getting back to drilling and oil & gas work in Gulf of Mexico as hurricane threat passes

Two oil majors, UK-headquartered energy giant Shell and its U.S.-based rival, Chevron, are returning personnel to their offshore assets in the Gulf of Mexico and all rigs to drill sites in a bid to resume operations since the anticipated disturbance, which was expected to turn into a hurricane, is no longer considered to present a safety risk.

Shell began transferring non-essential personnel at its Appomattox, Vito, Ursa, Mars, Auger, and Enchilada/Salsa assets to shore on November 4, as a precautionary measure after the hurricane threat appeared on the horizon in the Gulf of Mexico.

Four days later, the UK-based energy giant kept actively monitoring Hurricane Rafael’s progress. After another operator made the call to shut in the Conger field, the firm did the same at its Salsa asset. At the time, the company had no other impacts on its production across the Gulf of Mexico.

Once the seas calmed down and the weather improved in the wake of tropical storm Rafael, Shell decided to return to business and get its assets back online, highlighting: “We are actively monitoring improving offshore conditions in the wake of Tropical Storm Rafael in the Gulf of Mexico.

“As conditions continue to improve today and tomorrow, we are beginning the process of redeploying personnel to our assets. All of our mobile drilling units are returning to drill sites to re-start operations. As always, the safety of our people, the environment and our assets are Shell’s top priority.”

Shell’s view about the hurricane threat being over is shared by Chevron, which said on November 11 that it had started to redeploy personnel and restore production at its Gulf of Mexico platforms that were shut in for Hurricane Rafael.

“We will continue to closely monitor the system. Chevron remains focused on the safety of our workforce, the integrity of our facilities and the protection of the environment,” added the U.S. oil major.

The National Hurricane Center also confirmed in its forecast for the Gulf of Mexico waters that things were in the process of settling down and outlined: “A weak low and trough, remnants of Rafael will meander over the central Gulf through Tue evening before moving to the NW basin and dissipating Wed.

“The pressure gradient between a strong ridge building over the eastern United States and the low will support the development of moderate to fresh E to SE winds over the eastern half of the basin Tue night through Thu, reaching strong speeds in the NE Gulf and the Straits of Florida Wed and Wed night. A weak cold front will sink into the NE Gulf Thu and  exit the NE basin Thu night.”

Based on the data from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), personnel were evacuated from 41 production platforms by November 9, representing 11.05% of the 371 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, and two non-dynamically positioned (DP) rigs, equivalent to 33.3% of the six such rigs operating in the Gulf.

At the time, seven DP rigs moved off location out of the hurricane’s path, as a precaution, representing 33.3% of the 21 DP rigs active in the region. After reviewing operator reports, BSEE estimated that approximately 28.01% and 16.83% of the daily oil and natural gas production, respectively, was shut in.

BSEE explained: “As part of the evacuation process, personnel activate the applicable shut-in procedure, which can frequently be accomplished from a remote location. This involves closing safety valves located below the surface of the ocean floor to prevent the release of oil or gas, effectively shutting in production from wells in the Gulf and protecting the marine and coastal environments. Shutting in oil and gas production is a standard procedure conducted by industry for safety and environmental reasons.”

The data changed on November 11, when offshore operator reports indicated that personnel remained evacuated from 23 production platforms, which stands for 6.2% of the 371 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, and one non-dynamically positioned (DP) rig, equivalent to 16.67% of the six rigs of this type currently operating in the Gulf. In addition, two DP rigs were still off-location as a precaution, which represents 9.52% of the 21 DP rigs currently working in the area.

“DP rigs maintain their location while conducting well operations by using thrusters and propellers; these rigs are not moored to the seafloor, so they can move out of harm’s way in a relatively short time frame. Personnel remain on board and return to the original location once the hurricane has passed,” BSEE elaborated.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s estimates based on operator reports show around 25.69% of daily oil production and 13.06% of daily natural gas production remained offline in the Gulf of Mexico.

“After the storm has passed, facilities will be inspected. Once all standard checks have been completed, production from undamaged facilities will be brought back online immediately. Facilities sustaining damage may take longer to bring back online,” BSEE added.