Oil industry beefing up storm plans

Rules designed to keep offshore facilities in place in hurricanes

The U.S. offshore oil and gas industry is much better prepared to deal with hurricanes than it was in 2005, when major storms whipped through the Gulf of Mexico, damaging many offshore operations, government and industry officials said Thursday.

Not only has the scientific knowledge improved about hurricane behavior in the Gulf, oil companies now are following new regulations designed to keep offshore facilities in place during even the biggest storms. Government and industry groups also have beefed up hurricane response measures, the officials said.


The update came two weeks before the beginning of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, and after industry and government groups have spent the last three years studying problems exposed by Katrina and Rita.

Gulf infrastructure was still smarting from 2004’s Hurricane Ivan when Katrina and Rita destroyed more than 100 platforms and shut in 92 percent of oil and 83 percent of natural gas output.

Houston Chronicle