Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production is almost fully restored following hurricane Francine, a statement posted on the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s (BSEE) website on Monday revealed.
In the statement, the BSEE noted that, from operator reports, it estimates that approximately 12.18 percent of the current oil production and 16.02 percent of the current natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut-in.
Based on data from offshore operator reports submitted as of 11.30am CDT on Monday, personnel remain evacuated from 24 production platforms, the BSEE said in the statement, highlighting that this represents 6.47 percent of the 371 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
There are zero personnel evacuations from non-dynamically positioned (DP) rigs, according to the statement, which pointed out that none of the 20 DP rigs in the area are currently off location.
“The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Hurricane Response Team continues to monitor offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico in response to the storm,” the BSEE said in the statement.
“The BSEE team will work with offshore operators and other state and federal agencies until operations return to normal and the storm is no longer a threat to Gulf of Mexico oil and gas activities,” it added.
“Now that 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,” it continued.
According to updates posted on the BSEE website, September 12 saw the highest total shut-in percentage of Gulf of Mexico gas production as a result of Francine, at 53.32 percent, and September 13 saw the highest total shut-in percentage of Gulf of Mexico oil production due to the storm, at 41.85 percent.
In a statement posted on its website on September 11, ExxonMobil said, “we’re closely monitoring and preparing for severe weather that may impact our Louisiana facilities in the Baton Rouge area”.
“Our primary focus is the safety of our workforce and communities in the affected areas. Operations are ongoing,” it added.
“We evacuated all personnel from the Hoover offshore platform in the Gulf of Mexico and operations have been shut-in,” it continued.
In an update posted on its site on September 12, Exxon said, “we’re thankful that there appears to be no significant damage or flooding at our Baton Rouge area facilities, and our thoughts are with all those impacted”.
“Our Baton Rouge area facilities are operating as normal. We continue to meet all customer commitments,” it added in that update.
In a statement posted on its website on September 10, the BSEE announced that it had activated its hurricane response team and noted that it was monitoring offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico “as they evacuate platforms and rigs in response to the storm”.
An advisory posted on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) National Hurricane Center (NHC) website at 5pm CDT on September 11 stated that Francine had “made landfall in southern Louisiana in the Parish of Terrebonne, about 30 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, as a Category 2 hurricane”.
At the time of writing, the NHC website is only tracking one weather disturbance in the Atlantic – the remnants of Tropical Depression Gordon. As of 11am AST on September 17, this disturbance was registered on the NHC site as having maximum sustained winds of 30 miles per hour and a five mile per hour northern movement.
In a statement posted on its site last month, NOAA warned that “atmospheric and oceanic conditions continue to support an above normal 2024 Atlantic hurricane season”, highlighting that there is now a “90 percent probability of this result”.
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