Operators Urged to Brace for ‘Above-normal’ Atlantic Hurricane Season

BSEE is requiring oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico to include a reporting schedule for hurricane and storm evacuations.

In the Gulf of Mexico, there are an average of 30-40 rigs conducting drilling or other operations, more than 1,600 actively producing platforms, and thousands of offshore workers at any time, according to BSEE. (Source: Shutterstock.com)

By
Jennifer
Pallanich
Hart Energy

As the Gulf of Mexico enters the peak months of the Atlantic hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Aug. 4 it expects above-average activity levels.

It’s been a quiet season so far, with only three named tropical storms forming. In its mid-season update to the May forecast, NOAA slightly reduced the number of named storms it’s predicting for the hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

“The tropics have been relatively calm over the last month, but it only takes one storm to devastate a community,” Matthew Rosencrans, lead hurricane season outlook forecaster, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, said during a press briefing.

In the Gulf of Mexico, there are an average of 30-40 rigs conducting drilling or other operations, more than 1,600 actively producing platforms, and thousands of offshore workers in the Gulf at any time, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).

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Offshore

Jennifer Pallanich

Jennifer Pallanich is Hart Energy's senior editor for technology. She has reported on the technology that fuels oil patch exploration, development and production for more than two decades.

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