The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has received no damage reports so far by the offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico following Tropical Storm Harvey.
Following the storm, oil and gas operators continue to assess their facilities and are required to submit damage reports to the BSEE). To date, no damage reports have been received, the bureau said on Sunday, September 3.
Based on the data from offshore operator reports submitted as of 11:30 CDT on Sunday, personnel remain evacuated from a total of 30 production platforms, which represents 4.07 percent of the 737 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
Personnel have returned to all five of the previously evacuated non-dynamically positioned (DP) rigs, which represented 50% of the total number of rigs operating in the Gulf.
None of the 21 DP rigs currently operating in the Gulf moved off location out of the storm’s path.
From Gulf of Mexico operator reports, BSEE estimates that approximately 5.5 percent of the current oil production of 1,750,000 barrels of oil per day in the Gulf remains shut-in, which equates to 96,260 barrels of oil per day. BSEE also estimates that about 8.43 percent of the natural gas production of 3,220 million cubic feet per day, or 271.39 million cubic feet per day, remains shut-in.
According to the agency, since the storm has passed, operators have begun inspecting facilities and resuming production. Once all standard checks have been completed, production from undamaged facilities is brought back online immediately. Facilities sustaining any damage may take longer to bring back online.