gulf coast oil rigs in trouble

[Miami_Diver]

Looks like you guys in the Gulf are are going to have new oil rigs wrecks soon.!!
experts in the news say with those kind of winds a LOT of them will be in trouble.
this was the most devastating category 1 (now 5)hurricane that past through here in Miami that I can remember.nothing close to Andrew but theyre a lot of trees down that survive Andrews.

Well; look at the bright side, at least for divers those new oil wrecks will attrackt even more fish!!

stay safe!!

 

[lamont]

in a few more hours (sun 7:30pm eastern, sun 4:30pm pacific) we should see a jump in oil prices as the asian markets open... $70/bbl before the end of the week certainly looks reasonable at this point...

 

[serambin]

This thing looks like a guided missile headed for New Orleans. If it maintains its current heading (300 degrees) it will expose NO to a huge storm surge, 10 to 20 feet, the water pumps can't come close to handling that. This would put water 20 to 30 feet deep in the vieux carre. As bad as it sounds, I hope it turns to the east and the eye passes to the east of NO.

In any event, hopes and prayers are encourged.

Stan

 

[Miami_Diver]

in a few more hours (sun 7:30pm eastern, sun 4:30pm pacific) we should see a jump in oil prices as the asian markets open... $70/bbl before the end of the week certainly looks reasonable at this point...

yep, theyr'e saying Bush might open the strategic oil reserves until the rigs get back to normal.

 

[archman]

Hurricanes and nasty gales whip through the northern gulf all the time. I doubt very many oil rigs will suffer much damage. The crews are taken off as a precaution, for the minority of rigs that even have crews. You can't resupply the things during storms, either. Boats can't get out, and helos won't fly.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

In any event, hopes and prayers are encourged.

Stan

Goodluck over there dude, I'm over 100 miles away(East) and they are predicting 90-120mph winds over here. I have lots of family over there as well, I'm originally from Gretna, and I hope you all the best!

 

[lamont]

in a few more hours (sun 7:30pm eastern, sun 4:30pm pacific) we should see a jump in oil prices as the asian markets open... $70/bbl before the end of the week certainly looks reasonable at this point...

i was far, far too conservative:

U.S. crude surges 7 pct on Katrina

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. crude prices surged 7 percent to a new record high above $70 a barrel in opening trade on Monday as Hurricane Katrina, one of the most powerful U.S. storms ever, shut in oil production and closed refineries.

Oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange soared nearly $5 to a new record high of $70.80 a barrel, above last week's previous record $68, after producers and refiners shut down operations ahead of the maximum power Category 5 hurricane.

It was later trading up $3.72 a barrel, 5.6 percent, at $69.85 as traders feared the storm could do lasting damage to infrastructure, further straining an industry that has struggled to keep up with robust demand growth for the past two years.

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.asp?feed=OBR&Date=20050828&ID=5068180

 

[WarmWaterDiver]

What everyone might not appreciate as well is USGC refineries having to shut down for hurricane preparation and ride-out, no crude tankers nor product tankers (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, etc.) travel through hurricanes to deliver, and the heavy concentration of such plants in the area under hurricane warning. These world-scale plants pump product through pipelines or via tankers or tank barges all through the USA, especially to areas with no refining or drilling (like Florida for example).

I watched an exodus of LPG (propane & butane) tank trucks along the highway while we were boarding up today. Remember, just about any hydrocarbon product lighter than asphalt is also lighter than water - these babies would be like beached whales 9at best!) if they stuck around for Katrina and her Waves.

The deepwater Gulf of Mexico rigs are in bigger danger I think than the 'coastal' rigs referenced at the start of the thread. If Katrina causes another underwater mudslide like Ivan did, severing lots and lots of interconnecting piping between those rigs and shore, it'll take months (again) to sort out the underwater spaghetti and replumb it.

The rigs which survived Ivan have a god chance of surviving Katrina too. I recall one news story documenting wave heights 90 feet above normal on one such rig from Ivan (surf's up y'know?).

We just finished boarding up - thankfully we weren't on our refinery's ride-out crew list for this storm. I'll post something on the effects in a few days (if / when electric power is available again).

 

[Scubaguy62]

Great...just what we need, another excuse for higher gas prices!

 

[serambin]

Once the water floods over the main levys, it may take over a month to get the pumps back on line. I guess my brother-in-law will be down there for a while. He just got back after 16 months in Afganistan.

Stan