The NewsRoom
Release: #3890
Date: October 1, 2008
Hurricane
Gustav/Hurricane Ike Activity Statistics Update – October 1, 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.
There were
failures to report by some operators on September 29 and September
30, 2008. Steps have been taken to ensure full compliance with the
prescribed deadlines in the future. Since the statistics are based
on the operators’ reports, both the evacuation and shut-in
production figures provided for September 29 and September 30 are
inaccurate. Due to the nature of the calculations, the statistics
from those two days will not be recalculated.
Based on data
from offshore operator reports submitted as of 11:30 a.m. CDT today,
personnel are evacuated from a total of 123 production platforms,
equivalent to 17.2 % 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.
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 58.8 % of the
oil production in the Gulf is shut-in. 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 47.7 % 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 |
8 |
35 |
45 |
18 |
17 |
123 |
Rigs
Evacuated |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Oil, BOPD
Shut-in |
21,789 |
18,717 |
139,151 |
293,096 |
291,542 |
764,295 |
Gas,
MMCF/D
Shut-in |
518 |
559 |
834 |
781 |
840 |
3,532 |
This survey
information is reflective of 60 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:
10/14/2008,
01:20 PM
Central Time
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