U.S. Gulf of Mexico production still down in Hurricane Laura aftermath

Operations in the Gulf of Mexico are returning to normal in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura with just below 20 per cent of oil and gas production still shut-in.

The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said on Wednesday that it continues to monitor offshore oil and gas operations on platforms and rigs in the Gulf of Mexico as a result of Hurricane Laura.

The team works with offshore operators and other state and federal agencies until operations return to normal and the storms are no longer a threat to the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas activities.

Based on data from offshore operator reports on Sunday, personnel have been evacuated from a total of 59 production platforms, only 9.18 per cent of the 643 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Personnel is still evacuated from only one non-dynamically positioned rigs, equivalent to 8.33 per cent of the 12 rigs of this type currently operating in the Gulf of Mexico. All dynamically positioned rigs have returned to their working locations.

From operator reports, BSEE estimates that approximately 368,223 barrels per day or 19.90 per cent of the current oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut-in. As for gas, BSEE estimates that approximately 532.55 million cubic feet per day or 19.65 per cent of the natural gas production in the Gulf is still shut-in.

At the strongest point of Hurricane Laura, 299 or 46.5 per cent of production platforms were evacuated.

As a result, 84.3 per cent of the current oil production and 60.94 per cent of natural gas production were shut-in – the closest to the impact Hurricane Katrina had 15 years ago. Also, personnel was evacuated from 91 per cent non-DP rigs while all dynamically positioned rigs were temporarily moved off location.

According to government data, shut-ins from Hurricanes Laura and Marco removed 13.8 million barrels of oil from the market since 22 August.