Storm Rafael leaves over a quarter of Gulf of Mexico oil, 16% of gas offline

More than a quarter of U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil production and 16% of its natural gas output remained offline as of Sunday, following the disruption caused by Storm Rafael, the U.S. offshore energy regulator reported.

According to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), approximately 482,790 barrels of oil and 310 million cubic feet of natural gas production were shut in due to the storm. Oil and gas workers were evacuated from 37 of the Gulf’s 371 manned production platforms, about 10% of the total, while two drilling vessels were also moved from their previous locations.

Major producers Chevron and Shell have begun to return workers to their offshore facilities, with Shell also resuming operations of its drilling ships that had been paused during the storm, a spokesperson confirmed.

To date, production losses from the storm’s impact have totaled 2.07 million barrels of oil and 1.12 billion cubic feet of natural gas, according to BSEE data. The U.S. Gulf of Mexico accounts for around 15% of the nation’s crude oil output and 2% of its dry natural gas production.

Storm Rafael, which initially made landfall in the Gulf on Wednesday as a major hurricane, has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. The U.S. National Hurricane Center forecasts it will meander over the central Gulf of Mexico before shifting toward the south and southwest in the coming days.

The storm’s lingering effects continue to disrupt offshore energy operations, though recovery efforts are underway as companies gradually restore production and return staff to platforms.