Hurricane Isaias Forces Platform Evacuations and Output Cuts in the Gulf
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Hurricane Isaias hit oil and gas production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, forcing the shutdown of offshore facilities and the evacuation of personnel. Shell and Chevron, along with BP, took precautionary measures as the storm strengthened on its way toward the northern Gulf coast.
Early reports
According to the U.S. regulator Marine Minerals Administration (MMA), by Wednesday about 25% of Gulf oil production had been shut in, some 511,619 barrels per day, along with 16.37% of gas production, equivalent to 350.25 million cubic feet per day. At that point eight production platforms and two non-dynamically positioned drilling rigs had been evacuated, while one dynamically positioned unit had moved out of the storm's path.
The figure doubles
By Thursday, with Isaias having strengthened further, the output cuts escalated sharply: the MMA reported that 62.9% of daily oil production, 1.28 million barrels, and 57.4% of gas production, about 1,130 million cubic feet per day, had been taken offline, while another source put the shutdown at around 60%, equivalent to 1.3 million barrels per day. Both reports agreed that 121 production platforms, nearly a third of the 371 operating in the Gulf, had been evacuated, along with five non-DP drilling rigs, while four dynamically positioned units had repositioned out of the risk area.
Operators' measures
Shell shut down production and evacuated personnel from its Mars, Olympus, Ursa, Vito and Appomattox facilities, after having previously removed non-essential personnel from other assets such as Stones. Chevron began shut-in procedures at four of its operated facilities and moved additional personnel ashore, while BP also began evacuating non-essential workers from its Gulf platforms.
Track and warnings
According to the National Hurricane Center, Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour and was located about 380 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving north-northeast, with a possible landfall near the Florida Panhandle on Friday night or early Saturday morning. A life-threatening storm surge warning was issued from the mouth of the Mississippi to Suwannee, Florida, and the Coast Guard warned that its ability to carry out rescue operations could be reduced during the storm's passage, while also preparing to restore port operations once the event had passed.
Global context
The disruption adds to the pressure already weighing on global oil supply due to the conflict in the Middle East, where attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz have constrained tanker traffic, compounded by restrictions stemming from the situation in the southern Red Sea.
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