Francine impacts U.S. GoM oil and gas production
Written by Marine Log Staff
Image: National Hurricane Center
As communities along the Louisiana coast brace for the expected impact of Hurricane Francine, the storm has already impacted U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore oil and gas operations, with production shut-ins and platforms and rigs evacuated.
Meantime, multiple Louisiana ports have been declared in condition Zulu by the U.S. Coast Guard and are closed. Oil and gas offshore services hub Port Fourchon has been under condition Zulu since 6.00 a.m. this morning with the Greater Lafourche Port Commission saying that Francine is expected to impact the Port Fourchon area with heavy rainfall, significant storm surge outside of the levee system, and hurricane-force winds.
BSEE ACTIVATES HURRICANE RESPONSE TEAM
BSEE (the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement) has activated its Hurricane Response Team and is monitoring the situation.
BSEE says that, based on data from offshore operator reports submitted as of 11:30 a.m. CDT today, personnel have been evacuated from a total of 171 production platforms, 46% of the 371 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Production platforms are the offshore structures from which oil and natural gas are produced and transported to shore. Unlike drilling rigs, which typically move from location to location, production facilities remain in the same location throughout a project’s duration.
Personnel have been evacuated from three non-dynamically positioned (DP) rig(s), equivalent to 60% of the five rigs of this type currently operating in the Gulf. Rigs can include several types of offshore drilling facilities including jackup rigs, platform rigs, all submersibles, and moored semisubmersibles.
A total of four DP rigs have moved off location out of Francine’s path as a precaution. This number represents 20% of the 20 DP rigs currently operating in the Gulf. DP rigs maintain their location while conducting well operations by using thrusters and propellers; these rigs are not moored to the seafloor, so they can move out of harm’s way in a relatively short time frame. Personnel remain on board and return to the original location once the storm has passed.
As part of the evacuation process, personnel activate the applicable shut-in procedure, which can frequently be accomplished from a remote location. This involves closing safety valves located below the surface of the ocean floor to prevent the release of oil or gas, effectively shutting in production from wells in the Gulf and protecting the marine and coastal environments. Shutting in oil and gas production is a standard procedure conducted by industry for safety and environmental reasons.
From operator reports, BSEE estimates that approximately 38.56% of the current oil production and 48.77% of the current natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico 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. The shut-in production figures therefore are estimates, which BSEE compares to historical production reports to ensure the estimates follow a logical pattern.
After Francine has passed, facilities will be inspected. Once all standard checks have been completed, production from undamaged facilities will be brought back online immediately. Facilities sustaining damage may, of course, take longer to bring back online.
