Fifth of US Gulf of Mexico Crude Oil and 28% of Gas Offline, Regulator Reports

HOUSTON (Reuters) – Nearly 20% of production and 28% of output in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico federal waters remain offline following Hurricane Francine, according to the U.S. offshore energy regulator.

Hurricane Francine made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 storm on Wednesday, impacting key offshore oil and natural gas producing regions. The hurricane caused significant damage, toppling trees, flooding coastal areas, and disrupting power across four southern states.

As of Sunday, energy producers reported approximately 338,690 barrels per day of oil production and nearly 515 million cubic feet of natural gas offline in the Gulf. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement estimated these figures based on producer reports.

Cumulative production losses attributed to Hurricane Francine have reached 2.16 million barrels of crude oil and 4.635 billion cubic feet of natural gas, based on a tally of daily estimates from the Bureau.

On Sunday, there were still 37 evacuated oil and gas platforms, representing about 10% of the total in the Gulf of Mexico. This number is down from a peak of 171 evacuated platforms last week, as reported by the offshore regulator based on information from producers.