Oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has been severely affected by the approach of Hurricane Isaias. Approximately 25% of oil production in this region has been halted due to the evacuation of personnel and reduced activities. According to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the amount of halted oil production is equal to 511,619 barrels per day.
Details of the Storm's Impact on Oil Production
Gas production has also been affected, decreasing by 350.25 million cubic feet per day (about 10 million cubic meters per day), which is equivalent to 16.37% of gas production in the Gulf of Mexico. Overall, eight production platforms and two non-operational platforms have been evacuated, and one platform has been relocated away from the storm's path.
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Actions by Oil Companies
Major oil companies such as Shell and Chevron have taken precautionary measures to protect their facilities and personnel. Shell has halted production and evacuated its personnel from the Mars, Olympus, Ursa, Vito, and Apomattox facilities. The company had also previously evacuated non-essential personnel from its other assets in the Gulf of Mexico.
Chevron has also stopped production at four of its facilities and moved more personnel to shore. BP had previously evacuated non-essential personnel from its Gulf of Mexico facilities as well. These companies' actions were in response to forecasts regarding the strengthening of Hurricane Isaias.
As soon as the storm moves away from the area and weather conditions return to normal, operators are expected to inspect offshore facilities and resume production.
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