Nearly 30% of US oil production in the Gulf of Mexico halted

Houston. Nearly 30 percent of U.S. crude oil production in the Gulf of Mexico and 41 percent of natural gas production remained offline Saturday after Hurricane Francinethe US offshore energy regulator reported.

Francine lashed major oil and gas producing areas in the Gulf of Mexico and battered Louisiana with winds of up to 100 mph, toppling trees, flooding coastal areas and knocking out power in four states. As of Saturday, 37,000 Louisiana customers were without power.

A study showed that the equivalent of more than 522,000 barrels of oil and 755 million cubic feet of natural gas production remained offline Saturday, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Compliance reported.

There were 52 unstaffed oil and gas rigs on Saturday, about 14 percent of the region’s total, down from 171 rigs evacuated at the peak of the week, the regulator said.

Two of Chevron’s platforms were operating at reduced speed due to problems at the onshore gas plant, the company said Saturday. Full production at both — Jack/St. Malo and Big Foot — will resume once the onshore disruption is resolved, it said.

Chevron did not identify the operator of the gas plant.

The second-largest U.S. oil producer said it was continuing to rehire workers and restore oil production at its Anchor and Tahiti platforms, which were shut down before the hurricane. Initial assessments showed neither had suffered significant damage.