Hurricane Ida hit hard the coast of Louisiana on Sunday and left about two million people without electricity and undermined the shipping infrastructure. Louisiana is well-known center of America’s offshore oil and gas industry, which energy production shut down because of this hurricane. It was decided to suspend the production of 90 percent of the oil.
Port Fourchon, the primary support hub for the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico, is likely to suffer the most. Due to the hurricane, the port may be closed for several weeks. As The Maritime Executive reported, minimizing harm from Ida, offshore operators evacuated about 50 percent of all platforms in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, 9 out of 11 operating non-DP drilling rigs. 4 DP-enabled rigs ceased any operations and relocated.
According to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, 93 percent of offshore oil production and 94 percent of offshore gas production were still shut in. The local refiners were also affected, ¾ of Louisiana’s refining capacity went offline. Others stopped their operations fearing Ida’s arrival.