Mars floating production platform which was damaged by Katrina.
Posted on 09/25/2008 5:26:28 AM PDT by thackney
Nearly 30 oil and natural gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico that suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Ike will take three to six months to repair, according to the federal agency that regulates energy activity in the basin.
The Interior Department's Minerals Management Service said Wednesday that in addition to those 29 platforms, another 33 platforms sustained moderate damage and will take one to three months to fix. The agency said 1,450 of the Gulf's 3,800 platforms, ranging from small producers close to shore to deep-water facilities, were exposed to hurricane winds faster than 74 mph.
...
The agency also said Wednesday 52 platforms were destroyed by Ike, as well as four drilling rigs. Those platforms produced a combined 13,300 barrels of oil and 90 million cubic feet of natural gas, a fraction of normal daily output of 1.3 million barrels of oil and 7.4 billion cubic feet of gas.
The Minerals Management Service said six offshore natural gas pipelines have reported Ike-related damage.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
This should show the VietCongress that drilling for oil offshore is safe and reliable. There is no reason to not open up the rest of the continental shelf to drilling. Soon Russia is going to be drilling off Alaska and China/Cuba drilling off Florida..........
Call me skeptical, but this thing is being played for all it's worth.
Me too ... Aren’t these things made of steel?
It’s quite possible they were old and not of current designs. Notice they don’t say there were spills ...
“Being in the engineering biz, I find it hard to believe that 75-100 mph winds did all that much damage.”
Most of the damage was minor.
The necessary shut-down and restart of the platforms is costing more than the actual damage.
It’s usually not the *wind* that does the damage.
It’s the 100mph WATER that does it.
This is odd. I recall reading that virtually no rigs were hurt or severely damaged by Katrina.
And notice that the story is written from the perpective of their "damage descriptions," which may or may not affect production.
The real story is buried deep in the last paragraph, around the question, "how much capacity was affected?"
The answer: very little.
All that damage and no spills? You can believe that had a verifiable drop been spilled (or, even a rumored drop) that they’d be shouting it to the heavens!
Minerals Management Service Releases Updated Damage Assessments from Hurricane Ike
http://www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2008/press0924a.htm
Offshore Infrastructure Destroyed – As of September 23, 2008, 52 of the 3,800 offshore oil and gas production platforms, three jack-up drilling rigs, and one platform drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico have been destroyed by Hurricane Ike. Initial estimates are that the 52 destroyed production platforms produced a total of 13,300 barrels of oil per day and 90 million cubic feet of gas per day. (See table below.) Currently, MMS has no information on whether any of the destroyed platforms will be rebuilt by any operator.
As of September 23, 2008, MMS has received reports that indicate 29 platforms with extensive damage which may take from three to six months to repair. Examples of damage that would be considered extensive could include underwater structural damage or major damage to pipelines carrying the oil or natural gas to shore.
Additional reports show that 33 platforms received moderate damage taking one to three months before production can be restored. Damage that would be considered moderate may include major topside damage to critical process equipment such as the platform’s compressor or damaged risers or flex joints where pipelines connect to the platforms.
more at link above
Sheen/Spill Observations - Visual inspections of sheens/spills are being conducted as reports are received. There was one report of a release totaling 200 barrels of oil during the hurricane event. Upon investigation, no sheen was observed. It is expected that the oil dissipated through the course of the hurricane. MMS will compile and release sheen reports upon completion of the reporting and confirmation process. There have been no reports of oil impacting the shoreline or affecting birds and wildlife from releases in the Gulf of Mexico federal waters.
http://www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2008/press0924a.htm
You do not remember correctly
Katrina destroyed 18 production platforms and significantly damaged 34 others.
Special Report: Hurricane Katrina Damage Assessment
http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=24992
Damage reports have been defined by the estimated time it will take to make the repairs. For damage reporting purposes, MMS is considering that all platforms experiencing hurricane strength winds have the potential for minor damage. Repairs and resumption of production from facilities with minor damage can be expected to occur in less than one month. Examples of damage that would be considered minor might include missing heliport skirting, missing hand rails and pieces of grating or damaged boat landings.
As of September 23, 2008, MMS has received reports that indicate 29 platforms with extensive damage which may take from three to six months to repair. Examples of damage that would be considered extensive could include underwater structural damage or major damage to pipelines carrying the oil or natural gas to shore.
A 200 barrel spill was reported.
Remember that nearly every platform in the gulf had the production shut down and undersea valves closed off prior to the storm hitting.
With Gustave and Ike combined, over 29 million barrels of production has been stopped.
Yeah, I saw that earlier today. I wonder were they older rigs that suffered damage? Since the total production lost, you can infer the owners didn’t want to invest in any wellhead improvements.
Media reports all seem to want to take the ‘no drill it’s risky’ side. That’s why I was reading MMS yesterday, but even they are not that accurate when it comes to who, what when, and how.
Isn’t the media a hoot. Became nothing more than a lying propaganda outfit. Can’t wait until they go broke.
Mars floating production platform which was damaged by Katrina.
The one solution that would provide immediate help would be to eliminate the regulations that demand different blends of gasoline for various parts of the country.
The environmentalists can go straight to hell.
Thanks for the information, but what's really needed to understand the impact of this last storm is the total effect on production capacity.
So for the 29 platforms you mentioned that received extensive damage, do the repairs mean that all production is stopped from these rigs? Or, can they pump oil, albeit at a lower capacity? And better still, what percentage of total capacity has been reduced, among all rigs in the Gulf?
Ya gotta read the last paragraph where the kicker is.
“Those platforms produced a combined 13,300 barrels of oil and 90 million cubic feet of natural gas, a fraction of normal daily output of 1.3 million barrels of oil and 7.4 billion cubic feet of gas.”
These are platforms owned and opertted by very small independent operators which were built a long time ago with hardly any storm supporting infrastructure.
Great headline designed to get readers though
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