The US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has activated its Hurricane Response Team and is monitoring offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) as they evacuate platforms and rigs in response to Hurricane Francine. As of 11:30 a.m. CDT on 10 September, personnel had been evacuated from a total of 130 production platforms, 35% of the 371 manned platforms in the GOM.
From operator reports, BSEE estimates that approximately 24% of the current oil production and 27% of the current natural gas production in the GOM has been shut in. The production percentages are calculated using information submitted by offshore operators in daily reports. Shut-in production information included in these reports is based on the amount of oil and gas the operator expected to produce that day.
Shell shut in production at Perdido, Auger, and Enchilada/Salsa assets due to downstream impacts. Drilling has been halted at the company’s Whale FPU, which is not scheduled to begin operations until later this year.
According to BSEE, personnel have been evacuated from two non-dynamically positioned (DP) rigs, equivalent to 40% of the five rigs of this type currently operating in the Gulf. Another three DP rigs have moved off location out of the storm’s path as a precaution.
After the storm has passed, facilities will be inspected. Once all standard checks have been completed, production from undamaged facilities will be brought back on line immediately. Facilities sustaining damage may take longer to bring back on line.
As of 7:00 a.m. on 11 September, Hurricane Francine was located 195 miles southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, and was moving northeast at 12 miles per hour (mph). Maximum sustained winds were 90 mph, making this a strong Category 1 storm. The storm could strengthen into a Category 2 (winds over 95 mph) ahead of an expected landfall near Morgan City.
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