About 11% of oil production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico was shut on Tuesday as a result of Hurricane Ian moving into the eastern edge of the Gulf. Oil companies evacuated workers.
Some 190,000 barrels per day of oil production were shut in, according to offshore regulator the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). Producers lost 184m ft/3 of natural gas, equal to nearly 9% of daily output.
Personnel were evacuated from 14 production platforms and rigs, BSEE said.
Ian thus became the first hurricane this year to disrupt oil and gas production in the US Gulf of Mexico, which produces about 15% of the nation’s crude oil and 5% of dry natural gas.
Offshore producers Chevron, Occidental Petroleum and Hess on Monday said they had taken precautions ahead of the storm’s arrival in the Gulf. BP said that it was working to redeploy offshore personnel to two offshore production platforms after determining that Hurricane Ian no longer posed a significant threat to its Gulf Of Mexico assets. The oil major had on Monday evacuated personnel and halted output at Na Kika and Thunder Horse platforms.
Chevron also removed staff from two platforms, while Occidental and Hess said they were implementing storm procedures without providing specifics.
Tankers and vessels cleared the eastern Gulf of Mexico region, Refinitiv Eikon ship tracking showed.
