Hurricane Rafael Impact: Over 25% of Gulf Oil Production Remains Offline
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More than a quarter (27.59%) of U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil production and 16.67% of natural gas output remained offline Sunday, following Hurricane Rafael. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) activated its Hurricane Response Team and is monitoring operators as they work to restore operations.
As of Sunday, BSEE reported 482,790 barrels of oil and 310 million cubic feet of natural gas production shut-in. This represents shut-ins from 37 production platforms (9.97% of the 371 manned platforms in the Gulf). In addition, one non-dynamically positioned rig (16.67% of the six operating in the Gulf) was evacuated, while two dynamically positioned rigs (9.52% of the 21 operating) moved offsite as a precaution. Unlike drilling rigs, which are mobile, production platforms remain in fixed locations, increasing their vulnerability to storms.
To date, cumulative production losses from Rafael have reached 2.07 million barrels of oil and 1.12 billion cubic feet of natural gas, according to BSEE. The agency explained that the "shut-in" process involves closing subsea safety valves to prevent releases and protect the environment. BSEE verifies reported shut-in figures against historical data to ensure accuracy.
Rafael, which entered the Gulf as a major hurricane Wednesday, has since weakened to a tropical storm. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasts the storm to meander in the central Gulf before turning south and southwest early this week.
The Gulf of Mexico is a vital energy-producing region, responsible for approximately 15% of U.S. crude oil and 2% of dry natural gas production.