On Monday, ExxonMobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc. said that a subsurface leak in Exxon’s Hoover Offshore Oil Pipeline System (HOOPS) had prompted them to halt production at two fields in the US Gulf of Mexico.
On Thursday, Shell halted temporarily the production on its 100,000 bpd deepwater Perdido hub production. Exxon’s Hoover platform also halts production due to the leak.
The 153 miles (246 km) HOOPS pipeline is closed for repairs at the moment, according to a Shell spokeswoman.
It connects the Exxon-operated Hoover, Marshall and Madison offshore fields, which combined produce about 4,000 bpd of oil. The pipeline brings oil from several offshore oilfields to the Quintana Terminal near Freeport.
Exxon spokesman Todd Spitler said that the company has informed government agencies and shippers regarding the issue. It has also responded to an onshore crude oil release at a facility in Freeport, Texas.
