Operations in the Gulf of Mexico are slowly returning to normal following Storm Nate, but another 1 million barrels of daily production remains shut-in.
According to Tuesday’s report by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), based on data from offshore operator reports submitted as of 11:30 CDT, personnel remain evacuated from a total of 66 production platforms, which is nine percent of the 737 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
Personnel remains evacuated from 1 non-dynamically positioned (DP) drilling rig out of the 20 rigs of this type currently operating in the Gulf while all DP rigs have returned to their previous locations. There are 18 DP rigs currently in the Gulf of Mexico.
From operator reports, it is estimated that approximately 58.53 percent of the current oil production in the Gulf of Mexico remains shut-in, which equates to 1,024,251 barrels of oil per day. It is also estimated that approximately 46.12 percent of the natural gas production or 1,485.04 million cubic feet per day in the Gulf of Mexico is shut-in.
The BSEE added that, now that the storm has passed, operators would continue to re-board and inspect facilities. Once all standard checks have been completed, production from undamaged facilities will be brought back online immediately.
Any facilities that sustained damage may take longer to bring back online. At the moment, no damages have been reported.
Also, Reuters reported on Tuesday that ExxonMobil resumed normal operations at its Julia and Hadrian South subsea production systems in the Gulf after the storm forced them to shutter last weekend.
The company also said it is in the process of restoring full production to its Mobile Bay platform.