The NewsRoom
Release: #3889
Date: September 30, 2008
Hurricane Gustav/Hurricane Ike Activity
Statistics Update –
September 30, 2008:
Minerals Management Service Monitors
Activities for Both Storms Through its Continuity of Operations Plan
NEW ORLEANS — Offshore oil and gas
operators in the Gulf of Mexico are reboarding platforms and rigs and
restoring production following both Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane
Ike. The Minerals Management Service is monitoring activities for
both hurricanes through its Continuity of Operations Plan team. This
team will be activated until operations return to normal.
MMS has recalculated the number of
manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico since 23 manned platforms have
been confirmed destroyed from Hurricane Ike. The new figure of 694
manned platforms was used to calculate today’s percentage of manned
platforms evacuated. Based on data from offshore operator reports
submitted as of 11:30 a.m. CDT today, personnel are evacuated from a
total of 111 production platforms, equivalent to 16.0 % of the 694
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.
The
total number of rigs currently operating in the Gulf of Mexico has
been recalculated to allow for the number of rigs destroyed or
severely damaged as a result of Hurricane Ike. The recalculated
figure is 116 rigs. This number was used in calculating today’s
percentage of rigs evacuated. Personnel from 1 rig are evacuated;
this is equivalent to 0.9% of the 116 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 57.1 % of
the oil production in the Gulf is shut-in. This shut-in figure for
oil increased from yesterday’s figure due to operators’ errors in
reporting for September 29, 2008. As of June 2008, estimated oil
production from the Gulf of Mexico is 1.3 million barrels of oil per
day. It is also estimated that approximately
45.7 % of the natural gas production in the Gulf is shut-in. As of
June 2008, estimated 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 |
6 |
29 |
45 |
20 |
11 |
111 |
Rigs
Evacuated |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Oil, BOPD
Shut-in |
16,586 |
18,035 |
139,571 |
292,636 |
275,438 |
742,266 |
Gas,
MMCF/D
Shut-in |
421 |
561 |
839 |
776 |
787 |
3,384 |
This survey information is
reflective of 53 companies’ reports as of 11:30 a.m. CST.
Contact:
Eileen Angelico
504-736-2595
Caryl Fagot
504-736-2590
MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for America
U.S. Department of the Interior
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Last Updated:
09/30/2008,
12:53 PM
Central Time
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