Replies

And What State Do YOU Live In ?

http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=66090

Evacuations and Production Shut-in Affecting Most GOM Output
MMS Saturday, August 30, 2008

Offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico are evacuating platforms and rigs in the path of Hurricane Gustav. The Minerals Management Service has activated its Continuity of Operations Plan team to monitor the operators’ activities. This team will be activated until operations return to normal and the storm is no longer a threat to the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas activities.

Based on data from offshore operator reports submitted as of 11:30 a.m. CST today, personnel have been evacuated from a total of 223 production platforms, equivalent to 31.1 % of the 717 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Production platforms are the structures located offshore from which oil and natural gas are produced. These structures remain in the same location throughout a project’s duration unlike drilling rigs which typically move from location to location.

Personnel from 45 rigs have also been evacuated; this is equivalent to 37.2 % of the 121 rigs currently operating in the Gulf. Rigs can include several types of self-contained offshore drilling facilities including jackups, submersibles and semisubmersibles.

From the operators’ reports, it is estimated that approximately 76.77 % of the oil production in the Gulf has been shut-in. Estimated current oil production from the Gulf of Mexico is 1.3 million barrels of oil per day. It is also estimated that approximately 37.16 % of the natural gas production in the Gulf has been shut-in. As of June 2008, estimated current natural gas production from the Gulf of Mexico was 7.0 billion cubic feet of gas per day. Since that time, gas production from the Independence Hub facility has increased and current gas production from the Gulf is estimated at 7.4 billion cubic feet of gas per day.

As part of the evacuation process, personnel activate the shut-in procedure, which can also be accomplished from a remote location. This involves closing the safety valves located below the surface of the ocean to prevent the release of oil or gas. During Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the shut-in valves functioned 100 percent of the time, efficiently closing in production from wells and resulting in no major spills from the Outer Continental Shelf. Shutting-in oil and gas production is a standard procedure conducted by industry for safety and environmental reasons.

The production percentages are calculated using information submitted by offshore operators in daily reports. Shut-in production information included in these reports is based on what the operator expected to produce that day. The shut-in production figures therefore are estimates, which the MMS compares to historical production reports to ensure the estimates follow a logical pattern.

After the hurricane has passed, facilities will be inspected. Once all standard checks have been completed, production from undamaged facilities will be brought back on line immediately. Facilities sustaining damage may take longer to bring back on line. The MMS will continue to update the evacuation and shut-in statistics at 1:00 p.m. CST each day until these statistics are no longer significant.

Enjoy The Cost Of HEAT This Winter,,,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu5pPCrtIp1EBmQNXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzMjloZTFsBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMwRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA0Y3NTRfMTAz/SIG=12442fde4/EXP=1220303823/**http%3a//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_New_Orleans
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Port of New Orleans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Freighters on the Mississippi River in New OrleansThe Port of New Orleans is a port located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the 5th largest port in the United States based on volume of cargo handled, second-largest in the state after the Port of South Louisiana, and 12th largest in the U.S. based on value of cargo. It also has the longest wharf in the world, which is 2.1 miles (3.4 km) long and can accommodate 15 vessels at one time.[1]

The Port of New Orleans handles about 84 million short tons of cargo a year. The Port of South Louisiana, based in the New Orleans suburb of LaPlace, handles 199 million short tons. The two combined form the largest port system in the world by bulk tonnage, and the world’s fourth largest by annual volume handled. For its part, the Port of New Orleans refers to itself as being “at the center of the world’s busiest port complex.”

“The Port of New Orleans is a major transshipment point for steel, rubber, and coffee. In fact, it is the largest port in the U.S. for rubber imports. Over 6000 vessels and 700,000 passengers pass through the Port of New Orleans annually, with most of the passengers sailing to destinations in the Caribbean Sea, Mexico, and up the Mississippi River in either cruise ships or steamboats.

About 5,000 ships from nearly 60 nations dock at the Port of New Orleans annually. The chief exports are grain and other foods from the Midwestern United States and petroleum products. The leading imports include rubber, chemicals, cocoa beans, coffee, and petroleum. The port handles more trade with Latin America than does any other U.S. gateway, including Miami.

New Orleans is also a busy port for barges and passenger cruises. The barges, approximately 50,000 annually; use the nation’s two main inland waterways, the Mississippi River and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, which meet at New Orleans. The port of New Orleans handles about 50,000 barges yearly. It also handled nearly 800,000 cruise passengers in 2004, making it one of the nation’s premier cruise ports, with several ships from the Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian cruise lines based there.

The port was damaged by Hurricane Katrina, but reopened and returned to normal operations for most cargo. The France Road container facility on the Industrial Canal remains closed.”

Now Go Chop Some WOOD!!!