Shell restarts Amberjack GoM pipeline, flow to Fourchon 'not available'
Quantum Commodity Intelligence – Shell Midstream Partners has restarted the Amberjack pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico after it was shut in ahead of Hurricane Ida, but with downstream flow to onshore assets in Fourchon and beyond unavailable, it said in a filing issued on Friday.
The Amberjack pipeline pumped 335,000 bpd of crude oil during Q2 2021 and interconnects Chevron's deep-water Jack, Big Foot and St. Malo platforms and Total's Tahiti field to downstream assets via Fourchon.
The pipeline has been successfully re-staffed with safety assessments completed, with availability to deliver to Ship Shoal 332 and further into other downstream pipelines.
Yet downstream service to Fourchon station remained "not available" nearly two weeks after assets were shut in ahead of the arrival of the Category 4 hurricane.
"Crews have been mobilized, and they are continuing to assess and remediate issues at Fourchon station," Shell Midstream Partners said.
Chevron has redeployed essential personal to all its six platforms in the GoM, which has suffered no significant damage, the company said on Thursday, adding that it had restarted production at its Jack St. Malo platform.
Chevron said the Fourchon Terminal is operational after backup power was established, but is running with "reduced capacity".
Other Shell-operated pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, including Auger, Mattox, Proteus, Endymion, Odyssey, Delta and Na Kika, are in the process of being re-staffed at operational hubs while safety assessments and test were ongoing.
"[Shell Midstream Partners] expects that these systems will begin returning to commercial service within the next week," the statement said.
Shell's number-one pipeline in the Gulf, Mars – which pumped 484,000 bpd on average in Q2 – remains offline and under force majeure – effective from August 29 – due to the damage sustained at the West Delta 143 service station.
"Hurricane Ida constituted an event of force majeure, damaging the West Delta 143 facilities and causing a shut-down of such facilities for an unknown duration."
An estimated 76.48% of US oil output (1.391 million bpd) and 77.25% (1.72 billion cubic feet per day) of gas production from the Gulf of Mexico remains shut in after Hurricane Ida, according to the latest release from the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), based on data from operators submitted Thursday.
