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.”