NEW ORLEANS
— Offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico have
evacuated platforms and rigs and shut-in production as a precaution
for both Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike. The Minerals Management
Service is monitoring activities through its Continuity of
Operations Plan team. This team will be activated until operations
return to normal.
Based on data from offshore operator
reports submitted as of 11:30 a.m. CDT today, personnel have been
evacuated from a total of 611 production platforms, equivalent to
85.2 % of the 717 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Production
platforms are the structures located offshore from which oil and
natural gas are produced. These structures remain in the same
location throughout a project’s duration unlike drilling rigs which
typically move from location to location.
Personnel from 101 rigs have also
been evacuated; this is equivalent to 83.5 % of the 121 rigs
currently operating in the Gulf. Rigs can include several types of
self-contained offshore drilling facilities including jackups,
submersibles and semisubmersibles.
From the operators’ reports, it is
estimated that approximately 99.7 % of the oil production in the
Gulf has been shut-in. As of June 2008, estimated current oil
production from the Gulf of Mexico is 1.3 million barrels of oil per
day. It is also estimated that approximately 98.5 % of the natural
gas production in the Gulf has been shut-in. As of June 2008,
estimated current natural gas production from the Gulf of Mexico was
7.0 billion cubic feet of gas per day. Since that time, gas
production from the Independence Hub facility has increased and
current gas production from the Gulf is estimated at 7.4 billion
cubic feet of gas per day.
As part of the evacuation process,
personnel activate the shut-in procedure, which can also be
accomplished from a remote location. This involves closing the
safety valves located below the surface of the ocean to prevent the
release of oil or gas. During Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the
shut-in valves functioned 100 percent of the time, efficiently
closing in production from wells and resulting in no major spills
from the Outer Continental Shelf. Shutting-in oil and gas production
is a standard procedure conducted by industry for safety and
environmental reasons.
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 what the operator expected to produce that day.
The shut-in production figures therefore are estimates, which the
MMS compares to historical production reports to ensure the
estimates follow a logical pattern.
After the hurricane 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. The MMS will continue to update the evacuation
and shut-in statistics at 1:00 p.m. CDT each day until these
statistics are no longer significant.
Districts |
Lake
Jackson |
Lake
Charles |
Lafayette |
Houma |
New
Orleans |
Total |
Platforms
Evacuated |
88 |
126 |
131 |
129 |
137 |
611 |
Rigs
Evacuated |
11 |
17 |
19 |
30 |
24 |
101 |
|
Oil, BOPD
Shut-in |
69,692 |
35,595 |
160,159 |
433,645 |
597,430 |
1,296,521 |
Gas,
MMCF/D
Shut-in |
1,212 |
785 |
1,099 |
941 |
3,248 |
7,285 |