Once again the offshore community has been visited by a serious - potentially catastrophic - storm and not found wanting. Hurricane Ivan came ashore on the US Gulf Coast early in the morning of Sept. 16. It was a category 4 hurricane that wound its way through some of the major eastern Gulf of Mexico drilling and production sectors on its way to landfall east of Mobile, Ala. It looks as though Ivan may turn out to be the most devastating hurricane in more than a decade.

As usual for the last several decades, Gulf of Mexico operators and contractors instituted evacuation plans along the projected hurricane route in plenty of time. A total of 217 manned platforms were evacuated in an area stretching from the Texas-Louisiana border eastward. In addition, 19 mobile offshore drilling units (MODU) were evacuated. That amounts to evacuation of 28% of Gulf of Mexico manned platforms and 16% of MODUs. Production shut-in for the hurricane totaled 1,233,090 bopd of oil (72.53% of Gulf of Mexico daily oil production) and 5,116.880 mmcf/d of gas (41.6% of average daily production).

The Gulf of Mexico sector did not escape unscathed, however. While there was minor damage to most of the platforms in the hurricane's path, three fixed, Noble Energy production platforms disappeared. The three, Main Pass 293A, 305C and 306E, were likely toppled by the storm. Net daily production from Noble's Main Pass field totaled 3,400 boe prior to shut-in. All platforms were evacuated and secured when the storm struck them. At press time, no potential environmental incident had been identified for the three lost platforms.

Potentially more dangerous than the missing platforms were the three MODUs set adrift during the storm, two of which were operating in deepwater. First was the Transocean's Deepwater Nautilus. Immediately after the passage of the storm, the rig was listed as missing from its deepwater location160 miles (257 km) south of Mobile. Sometime during the storm, the rig broke loose from its anchor spread and, by the time it was located, drifted 70 miles (112 km) to the northeast. Initial reports said that any damage will be minimal.

Also set adrift was Diamond Offshore's Ocean Star, another semisubmersible drilling in deep water. The Ocean Star drifted only 12 miles (19 km) from its location in 2,423 ft (739 m) of water in the Viosca Knoll area. Again, initial surveillance indicated no apparent damage.

The third MODU set adrift was Ensco's Ensco 64, a jackup working in Main Pass Block 280. After the passage of the storm, the rig was located floating approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of its pre-storm drilling location. At press time, no word on possible damage had been issued.

This is all good news. First, evacuation occurred far enough ahead of the storm to ensure that no human life was lost. Second, although there were equipment losses, no major environmental event has yet to surface. And, while three rigs broke away, they survived in good shape. All in all, it is a confirmation of our industry's continued commitment to safety and the environment. And it is a testament to the continued technical progress of our industry that allows us to work safely in the world's harshest environments. Now, if only the naysayers and industry critics would take notice of our industry's accomplishments.
Hats off to the Gulf of Mexico operators and contractors who have once again proved that we are up to the task.

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