Oil and natural gas operators in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico that evacuated rigs and platforms for Hurricane Michael continue to return shut-in production across the region, the most recent data from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement shows.
As of 1 p.m. CT on Oct. 12, the agency estimated that about 550,313 barrels of oil per day and 334 MMcf/d of gas are still shut-in. This is about 32.4% of daily oil output and 13.05% of gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, down from 40% and 29.1%, respectively, Oct. 11.
Based on data from offshore operator reports from 27 companies, personnel are still evacuated from nine production platforms, or about 1.3% of the 687 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to a 5 a.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Center, Michael was downgraded from a tropical storm early Oct. 12 as it moved away from the U.S.