Gulf of Mexico production was down by 312,280 b/d of oil and 360 MMcfd of natural gas at midday Aug. 31 as operators prepared for Tropical Depression No. 9, according to the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
The cuts represented 20% of oil production and 11% of gas production in the gulf.
Personnel had been removed from 10 production platforms and one drilling rig not dynamically positioned (DP). Five DP rigs had been moved out of the storm’s path.
The gulf has 750 manned platforms, 11 non-DP rigs, and 19 DP units.
A day earlier, the production declines, based on daily operator reports, were 353,000 b/d of oil and 346 MMcfd of gas. Seven DP rigs were reported off location at that time.
By late Aug. 29, according to the US Department of Energy, BP PLC had removed nonessential personnel from its four operated platforms and shut in production from three of them: Thunder Horse, Atlantis, and Na Kika. Production continued from the Mad Dog platform.
Royal Dutch Shel PLC shut in Coulomb field, which produces through Na Kika.
Hess Corp. and BHP Billiton Ltd. had secured their gulf facilities and removed nonessential personnel.
Destin Pipeline removed personnel from its Main Pass 260 platform and shut in all receipt and delivery points at the facility.
