US oil and gas producers were bringing back workers and began restoring output at their platforms along the US Gulf Coast on Sunday two days after Hurricane Delta swept through the region. Chevron, Shell, and BHP all said workers were returning to production facilities in the US Gulf of Mexico. BHP spokeswoman Judy Dane said the company expected all workers to come back to its Neptune and Shenzi facilities on Sunday.
Companies may need several days after a hurricane to assess damage at their facilities. Pipelines and onshore processing plants were also shut ahead of the hurricane. Resuming flows from offshore platforms will also depend on how quickly onshore infrastructures return to service. Statistics from the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) showed 91% of offshore crude oil production and 62.2% of natural gas output in the US Gulf of Mexico remained shut as of Monday.
Calcasieu Waterway, Cameron Parishes, Lake Charles port, and Cameron port in Louisiana remained shut on Monday. The ports of Beaumont and Port Arthur, including the Sabine Pass, in Texas, reopened on Sunday but imposed some restrictions, according to the US Coast Guard. Meanwhile, Total was restarting its 225,500 bpd refinery in Port Arthur which lost power on Friday.
