- 1.684 million b/d of oil, or 92.5%, still offline
- 1.915 Bcf/d of gas, or 86%, remains shut in
- Shell says 80% of its Gulf output still down
US Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production continued to slowly recover Sept. 4 nearly a week after Hurricane Ida ravaged the Louisiana coast, reports Platts.
Oil production restored
As of Sept. 4, producers had restored about 15,000 b/d of oil production and 75,000 Mcf/d of natural gas from the prior day, according to the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
1.684 million b/d of crude output was still offline, 92.5% of total US Gulf of Mexico output, BSEE said. Also, 1.915 Bcf/d of natural gas was still offline Sept. 4, about 86% of total output.
US Gulf upstream operators had restored 14 more production platforms by noon Sept. 4, with total evacuated platforms at 119.
Hurricane Ida hit the Louisiana Gulf Coast Aug. 29 packing winds of 150 miles per hour and even higher gusts. It was one of the strongest storms to hit the region in years.
Port Fourchon hit directly by Ida
Ida landed a direct hit at Port Fourchon, Louisiana , a key hub that serves as a point of transportation to and from offshore facilities and receives over 90% of the US Gulf crude and gas output. From there, the hub distributes the volumes to various storage facilities and terminals via a network of pipelines.
But because that area was struck, helipads and roads were damaged, impeding access by upstream operators to their offshore platforms and installations.
Louisiana Highway 1, which leads to Port Fourchon, reopened Sept. 3. Port officials said they will notify port tenants on allowing only a phased-in entry for damage assessments, and that it still remains too early for any timeline on restoring port operations.
Late Sept 3, Shell confirmed that around 80% of its US Gulf operated production remained offline. The company had reported the previous day that its West Delta facility, which serves as a Gulf production gathering hub, was found damaged and that four-fifths of its Gulf output was shut in.
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: Platts
