Officials and operators in the US Gulf of America (GoA) are assessing any damage to offshore infrastructure following Hurricane Isaias.
The Marine Minerals Administration (MMA) is monitoring offshore oil and gas platforms and other facilities after the evacuation of platforms and rigs in response to the storm.
The MMA reported on 11 October that its teams will work with offshore operators and other state and federal agencies until operations return to normal, and the storm is no longer a threat to GoA oil and gas activities.
Onshore, a number of individuals died, in Florida and Alabama, including people who were killed when trees fell on their houses, while hundreds of thousands were left without power after the hurricane battered parts of the southern US with powerful winds and heavy rain.
According to the MMA, oil personnel were evacuated from a total of 32 production platforms, representing around 8.7% of the 371 manned platforms in the US GoA.
It added that none of the 17 dynamically positioned rigs in the region moved off location out of the storm’s path as a precaution.
Dynamically positioned rigs maintain their location while conducting well operations by using thrusters and propellers; these rigs are not moored to the seafloor, so they can move out of harm’s way in a relatively short time frame.
The Administration said that personnel remained on board to return to the original location after the storm had passed.
From operator reports, the MMA estimates that approximately 57.5% of current daily oil production and 49.1% of current daily natural gas production in the GoA was shut in as a result of the storm.
“After the storm has passed, facilities will be inspected,” it added.
“Once all standard checks have been completed, production from undamaged facilities will be brought back online immediately. Facilities sustaining damage may take longer to bring back online.”
Guardian Decommissioning and Wild Well Control have announced a strategic agreement for the decommissioning of the Bullwinkle platform in the Green Canyon Block 65 in the Gulf of America.
The agreement further strengthens the long-standing relationship between the two companies, building on the successful collaborations in decommissioning, well abandonment, and specialist well control operations.
Guardian will assume operatorship as agent of the wells, the pipelines and platform. The company will also work closely with current platform operator, Talos Energy, and Wild Well Control to execute simultaneous well abandonment activities alongside ongoing production operations.
The wells phase of the project will be first, followed by the pipelines and platform scopes. From Q4 2026, Guardian will execute well abandonment activities, platform removal, jacket reefing, and site clearance through to project completion.
Iain Murray, President of Guardian Decommissioning, said, “This agreement reflects the complementary strengths of our organisations. Guardian is built to manage complex offshore decommissioning projects, including multi-well campaigns and large-asset topside removals and jacket reefing. We look forward to delivering a safe and efficient retirement of the Bullwinkle assets while allowing Wild Well Control to continue focusing on its core intervention business.”
The agreement allows Guardian to apply its extensive decommissioning expertise while enabling Wild Well Control to focus on its growing well intervention and well control businesses.
Kickstarting a multi-well drilling campaign for strategic partner, Arena Energy, LLC, White Fleet Drilling, LLC has deployed its newly refurbished WFD 450 jack-up drilling rig, equipped for operations at water depth of 400 ft and a drilling depth capacity of 30,000 ft.
This comes following the rig's refurbishment as part of a comprehensive US$65mn acquisition and upgrade initiative. The repaired asset with modernised specifications stands apart from existing fleets, and perfectly aligns with Arena's ambitions to unlock unexploited proven reserves.
First constructed in 1999 and previously managed by Valaris, the rig had spent seven years cold-stacked in the shallow Gulf waters. White Fleet’s substantial investment to repair and modernize the asset stands as one of the largest offshore rig refurbishments in the region in recent years. Following its christening on January 9, 2026, the rig commenced offshore drilling operations in late March.
Currently operating in the Southern Eugene Island area, the rig is slated for continued drilling across Arena's Gulf leasehold.
“This is what a long-term commitment to American energy looks like,” said Arena Co-Founder and CEO Mike Minarovic. “Nobody invests $65 million in a rig for a single drilling season. The WFD 450 will be drilling wells on the Shelf — and generating significant royalties for the federal treasury — for the next 15 to 20 years.”
Minarovic continued, “We are ‘all in’ on the future of the shallow water Gulf of America. The Shelf still holds vast potential, and the WFD 450 gives Arena the reach to unlock proved reserves that no other rig in the Gulf could access.”
By restoring and expanding offshore production capabilities across the entire depth spectrum of the shallow-water Gulf Shelf, the deployment of the WFD 450 directly reinforces American energy dominance.
Securing transaction of approximately US$840mn, Shell Offshore Inc has closed the sale of its non-operated 50% working interest in the Na Kika platform and associated fields, alongside its fully owned Coulomb subsea tieback in the Gulf of Mexico.
The offshore assets were acquired jointly by a subsidiary of Talos Energy and an affiliate of Ridgewood Energy.
Shell retains rights to uncapped upside-linked payments running through 2027, as well as overriding royalty interests (ORRI) on future production derived from new tiebacks to the Na Kika host facility.
The acquiring parties have agreed to assume defined decommissioning obligations, backed by financial security guarantees.
The divestment falls in line with Shell’s strategic focus on streamlining its upstream portfolio for lower-cost, resilient deep-water developments. After studying internal modeling, the company concluded that neither asset would contribute significantly to its long-term production profile heading toward 2030.
Operating since 2003, Shell held the semi-submersible Na Kika facility with bp, which serves as the operator and retains its 50% stake. At year-end 2025, Shell’s proved reserves stood at 4.3 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe). The Coulomb Tieback, on the other hand, has been integrated into the regional infrastructure in 2005. The asset held 7.2 million boe in proved reserves for Shell at the end of 2025.
Shell’s net entitlement share across both assets averaged approximately 37,000 boe per day during 2025.
Despite the sale, Shell maintains a prominent presence in high-margin deep-water basins, remaining the premier producer and operator in the Gulf of Mexico alongside extensive holdings in Brazil.
The United States remains one of Shell’s largest global markets, spanning major deep-water operational hubs, a nationwide retail network of nearly 12,000 branded stations, extensive LNG trading operations, and a domestic workforce exceeding 11,000 employees.
Tackling millions of acres of ocean waters that make up the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) is no mean feat and will only turn more challenging if not addressed in an optimised manner.
The United States Department of the Interior (DoI) is hence proactively initiating structural realignments so that resource leasing is done in an environmentally responsible manner. A clear administrative structure in place will eliminate regulatory friction while upholding safety standards.
In a significant consolidation move of its offshore regulatory agencies for enhanced oversight across the OCS, the DoI has announced the unification of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) into a single Bureau -- the Marine Minerals Administration (MMA).
This move will simplify supervision of activities in the OCS due to effective administration from streamlined governance as MMA begins to operate as part of the DoI.
MMA was formerly known as Minerals Management Service (MMS), whose operations were split across the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). While at BOEM MMS administered offshore energy and minerals leasing, resource evaluation and environmental review, at BSEE it was responsible for overseeing operational safety, environmental enforcement, resource conservation and regulatory compliance.
When independently operating, a lot of complications hampered the operations of both Bureau. There were unnecessary bureaucracy and administrative systems that were only obstructing the DoI's capacity for strategic deployment, and could simply be done without. Reunification of BOEM and BSEE into a single Bureau will reduce overhead, enhance the deployment of subject matter expertise across the entire mission area and deliver stronger safety outcomes for the workers and communities who depend on safe and responsible OCS operations. It will allow DoI a holistic approach in addressing safety and environmental concerns throughout the OCS for all leasing, exploration, development, production and decommissioning processes, which will improve leadership decision-making.
The MMA will cover all aspects of DoI's offshore energy and mineral resource management and conservation, safety oversight, environmental enforcement and related activities on the OCS. The position will be spearheaded by a Director under the supervision of the Assistant Secretary – Land and Minerals Management (AS-LMM).
Baker Hughes has been chosen to provide gas compression systems for the Cloud Connector Pipeline project in Louisiana, as well as a modular liquefaction solution including cold boxes to support the expansion of the Plaquemines LNG facility.
Together, the pipeline and liquefaction awards demonstrate the critical role of integrated natural gas infrastructure in expanding LNG supply and enhancing energy security for global markets, the company said in a statement.
The pipeline award, which includes 13 gas compression systems driven by Frame 5/2E gas turbines, represents one of the largest deployments for LNG feed gas transportation in the US.
It will enable reliable transportation of feed gas through the Cloud Connector Pipeline to Venture Global LNG’s Plaquemines facility.
Baker Hughes will also provide four liquefaction blocks, comprising a total of eight modules, to support additional production capacity at the Plaquemines LNG facility.
"US natural gas is helping to deliver the energy continuity required for industries, communities and economies to thrive, grow and innovate,” said Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes.
“Baker Hughes is proud to work alongside our partners at Venture Global as they expand Plaquemines LNG, providing the critical energy infrastructure needed to meet growing global long-term global energy demand.”
The liquefaction solution provided by Baker Hughes for the Plaquemines expansion follows a similar scope recently awarded for the CP2 project.
Each liquefaction block is based on two electric-motor driven, single mixed-refrigerant (SMR) liquefaction modules and associated compression trains featuring Baker Hughes' advanced centrifugal compressor technology, as well as cold boxes, air coolers and integrated control systems.
The Cloud Connector award is the second order of Frame 5/2E gas turbine-driven centrifugal compressor packages for Venture Global’s feed gas pipeline, expanding the fleet to 23 Frame 5/2E-driven gas compression systems for the Plaquemines LNG facility.
The award further strengthens Baker Hughes’ strategic relationship with Venture Global, supporting more than 100 MTPA of existing and planned LNG production capacity, and reinforces Baker Hughes’ role as a leading industrialised energy provider across the natural gas value chain.
“Baker Hughes has been a trusted partner across our LNG developments, both at our LNG facilities and across our pipeline infrastructure,” said Mike Sabel, CEO of Venture Global.
“As we advance the expansion of Plaquemines LNG, this collaboration not only supports our expansion plans, but also helps ensure we deliver the reliable feed gas transportation necessary to realise our mission of supplying secure LNG to global markets.”
Norwegian technology company Control Cutter has appointed Steve Louis as Group Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director of the US region.
In a LinkedIn post shared this week, Louis stated he “welcomes the opportunity to work with the talented team at our US facility in Broussard, Louisiana, and with my counterparts in Norway, the UK and Brazil.”
Louis continued, “I also look forward to the engaging with the many clients, subcontractors, and vendors who I have has the honour of working with over the last decade to address the growing decommissioning backlog in both the Gulf of America and Pacific.”
Louis joins the team with nearly 25 years of experience in offshore EPCI, subsea construction, and decommissioning, including senior leadership roles at TechnipFMC, Subsea 7, EMAS, and Promethean Decom. He is also the Chairman of the Offshore Network Decommissioning & Abandonment GOA Conference.
Bernt Arne Breistein, Group CEO of Control Cutter, said, "By combining the Group Chief Commercial Officer and Regional Managing Director roles in one position based in the United States, we put commercial decision-making closer to our customers while keeping strategies aligned across all our regions, the US, Norway, the UK, Brazil and beyond, as we grow. Steve's track record in decommissioning is exactly what this role calls for, and we are delighted to have him on board."
Control Cutter is a service provider which houses a portfolio of patented cutting tools for decommissioning, including conductors, casings, anchor chains, risers, umbilicals and flowlines. The company has bases in the UK, Norway, Brazil, and the US.
Gone are the days of single-scope, piecemeal contracts ever since offshore operators have unravelled the cost and operational benefits of integrated services.
Synchronised delivery dramatically replaces the need for heavy-lift vessels mobilisation, making formidable end-of-life campaigns look like a cakewalk. Its also a win-win for both the operator and the integrated services provider as the former gets maximum price value even when the latter secures considerable profit as the sole provider with no other contractors to share the profits with.
An oil major with operations in the Gulf of America has selected Promethean Energy for the planning and execution of integrated offshore decommissioning work of a massive scale.
Ensuring cost and operational efficiency in late-life asset optimisation and offshore decommissioning, Promethean works in an integrated model that takes care of multiple aspects, including supply chain optimisation, operator-style planning, data-driven continuous improvement and intensive execution oversight. For this asset in the shallow water of the Continental Shelf of the Gulf of America that is nearing end of productive life, Promethean will deliver project management, engineering, regulatory coordination, contractor oversight, HSE management, and execution support. Danny Turner, Senior Vice President of Decommissioning will be spearheading a multidisciplinary team with roles across engineering, operations, regulatory, commercial and HSE.
The contract requires delivering a complex, multi-phase project spanning wells, facilities and subsea infrastructure in a safe manner, while navigating regulatory considerations. Regulations compliance, especially in decommissioning, is solid with overseers, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) now working as a combined entity -- Marine Minerals Administration (MMA) – within the Department of the Interior, US Coast Guard and relevant industry standards.
Five wells will be plugged and abandoned as part of the campaign, with two subsea pipelines needing abandonment as well. It will also apply for the removal of two offshore structures through to site clearance operations. While well decommissioning will begin this summer, offshore facilities removal activities will continue well into 2027.
“The selection of Promethean Energy reflects the confidence our clients place in our ability to safely execute complex offshore decommissioning projects while maintaining regulatory compliance and cost discipline,” said Martyn Fear, Chief Operating Officer of Promethean Energy.
“Our team brings extensive Gulf of America experience across wells, facilities and subsea infrastructure, supported by proven project excellence processes, a strong HSE culture and integrated data management systems that provide transparency across every phase of execution. We look forward to working closely with our client and our contractor partners to deliver this project safely, efficiently and responsibly.”
From introducing advanced technology for safe decommissioning executions to platform repurposing and everything in between, Promethean's activities in the Gulf of America run deep.
The Who Dat East Joint Venture, operated by LLOG, has sanctioned the development of the Who Dat East field, located in lease MC 509-1, in water depths of approximately 1,300 metres.
The project is a one-well development comprising the completion of the 2024 Who Dat East discovery well, the construction of a 29-kilometre pipeline to the Who Dat Floating Production System (FPS), installation of subsea controls, and minor upgrades to the FPS.
First production is expected in the second half of 2028, at an initial gross production rate of approximately 6,500 bopd of liquids and 50 MMscf/d of gas.
LLOG Exploration, which was acquired by Harbour Energy in February 2026, holds a 40% interest in the joint venture company alongside partners, Karoon USA (40%) and Westlawn Americas Offshore (20%).
A statement issued by Australia-listed Karoon Energy reported that its total net capital cost is estimated at US$155mn to US$165mn, which would equate to a total project cost of around US$400mn, split across the three equity partners.
It added that Who Dat East oil and gas production will be co-mingled, transported and processed through the existing Who Dat infrastructure and will follow the same routes to market.
“We are delighted to reach FID on Who Dat East,” said Karoon’s CEO and MD, Carri Lockhart.
“The development is economically attractive and will deliver material low cost, high margin production to Karoon when it comes online in the second half of 2028.”
Lockhart cited “strong collaboration” on the development and that the partners “look forward to commencing the construction phase of the project.”
Talos Energy has eliminated approximately US$54 million in asset retirement obligations (ARO) and decommissioning obligations following the completion of its divestment of non-core shelf assets.
In its Second Quarter 2026 Operational and Financial Results, Talos said it had completed the divestment of its non-core shelf, non-operated gas assets on 15 July 2026. The transaction eliminated approximately US$54 million in ARO and decommissioning obligations.
The company also reported US$112.5 million in capital expenditures during the second quarter, excluding plugging and abandonment and settled decommissioning obligations.
The results cover the three months ended 30 June 2026 and include Talos’ operational and financial performance for the period.
The company highlighted the completed non-core shelf divestment as part of its strategic developments during the quarter. The transaction removes the associated asset retirement and decommissioning obligations from Talos’ portfolio.
Talos Energy has completed a workover on the Genovesa well and returned it to production, marking a key well intervention milestone during the second quarter of 2026.
The company reported the completion of the workover as part of its latest operational and financial results for the three months ended 30 June 2026. The well was brought back online late in the second quarter as Talos continued to focus on improving the performance and reliability of its offshore production portfolio.
Alongside the Genovesa intervention, Talos completed drilling operations at Monument #3, where the well encountered approximately 250 feet of net pay, in line with pre-drill expectations. The company also began its Daenerys appraisal well programme, with results from the first appraisal well expected by the end of 2026.
The operational progress contributed to stronger-than-expected production during the quarter. Talos produced 68.6 thousand barrels of oil per day and 93.7 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day, with both oil and total equivalent production exceeding the company's guidance ranges. Talos attributed the performance to strong uptime and well performance.
The company generated $300.6 million in net cash from operating activities and US$231.6 million in Adjusted Free Cash Flow. Net income was US$149.7 million, while Adjusted EBITDA reached $402.4 million.
Talos invested $112.5 million in capital expenditure during the quarter, excluding plugging and abandonment and settled decommissioning obligations. At 30 June 2026, the company held $577.6 million in cash, with an undrawn credit facility and net debt to LTM Adjusted EBITDA of 0.5x.
Beyond the completed Genovesa workover, Talos is progressing several offshore development and exploration activities. The company announced a strategic development farm-in transaction with Repsol in offshore Mexico Block 29 and agreed to acquire an 80% operated interest in an offshore Honduras block covering more than 4 million gross acres through a seismic commitment.
Talos also announced the acquisition of Gulf of America deepwater oil assets from Shell, with the transaction expected to close during the third quarter of 2026. BP elected not to exercise its preferential right.
The company raised its full-year 2026 production guidance midpoint to 66 MBo/d and 89 MBoe/d, excluding the announced Gulf of America acquisition and after adjusting for the closed non-core shelf divestment.
Talos further strengthened its financial position through the issuance of US$800 million of 8.000% notes due 2034. The proceeds were used to fully redeem $625 million of 9.000% notes due 2029 and fund part of the previously announced Gulf of America acquisition.
Looking ahead, the company has also secured a rig contract for the West Vela drillship, which is scheduled to commence in mid-2027 for an initial one-year term with extension options.
"The second quarter marked another meaningful step forward in the execution of our strategy and reinforces our confidence in the long-term value creation opportunities ahead," said Paul Goodfellow, President and Chief Executive Officer of Talos.
"We advanced all three pillars of our strategic framework as we continue to build a long-lived, scaled portfolio by expanding our deepwater scale, enhancing our development inventory through greenfield opportunities, and adding large-scale exploration potential at low entry cost. At the same time, our teams continued delivering on the Optimal Performance Plan, achieving more than 65% of the 2026 target in the first half of the year and demonstrating our relentless focus on operational excellence, cost discipline and value creation.
These strategic achievements were complemented by strong execution across our base business. We exceeded the high end of our production guidance ranges, increased our full-year production outlook and generated record Free Cash Flow. We also commenced the Daenerys appraisal program, which has the potential to further enhance the longevity of our deepwater portfolio.
Taken together, these accomplishments demonstrate our ability to successfully execute on both fronts – advancing our Three Strategic Pillars while continuing to deliver exceptional operational and financial results from our base business. With strong momentum across the organization, we remain focused on building the foundation to be a leading pure-play offshore E&P and look forward to closing the previously announced Gulf of America bolt-on acquisition later in the third quarter."
As Shell Offshore Inc gives up 50% non-operated working interest in the Na Kika platform and associated fields in the Gulf of America, buyers Talos Energy and Ridgewood Energy will be required to assume certain decommissioning obligations with security coverage.
Approximately US$1.7bn transaction, it will also include the Coulomb tieback, which belonged entirely to Shell.
In Shell's outlook, Na Kika and Coulomb can be considered rapidly declining assets, which may reach end of life over the next few years. Last year, the assets generated around 37,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day for Shell. Its proven reserves generated from Na Kika by the end of 2025 were 4.3 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe) while from Coulomb it were 7.2 million boe. The major is now reshaping its deepwater asset portfolio with a focus on attaining scale, efficiency and infrastructure.
“The Gulf of America is one of our highest-value basins, and we are actively shaping our portfolio to ensure our Upstream business continues to be resilient and increasingly competitive,” said Peter Costello, Shell’s Upstream President. “We remain focused on sustaining our material liquids production into the next decade.”
The Na Kika semi-submersible platform is Shell’s only non-operated platform in the Gulf of America, which began producing in 2003. bp, as operator of the platform, holds the remaining 50% working interest. The Coulomb tieback has been producing since 2005.
The United States remain a key market for Shell, with operations and interests in all 50 states. The company is one of the frontrunners in the Gulf of America as deepwaters operator, with significant presence in the region as an oil and gas producer and US LNG buyer.
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