The road to recovery

摘要

It's hard to wrap your head around the damage inflicted on the Gulf Coast energy and marine industries in recent months by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. If there were silver linings to be found in the aftermaths of the hurricanes, they'd probably be that there was no loss of life or significant oil spills from any offshore rigs on the Outer Continental Shelf, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior. But make no mistake, the hurricanes inflicted a heavy toll on the nation's energy bread basket. In its preliminary assessment of the damage from Katrina and Rita, the Department of the Interior said that 108 of the older "end of life" offshore oil rigs and platforms not built to Minerals Management Service's (MMS) upgraded design standards were destroyed. These offshore facilities account for only 1.7% of the Gulf's oil production and 0.9% of the Gulfs gas production. Another 53 platforms suffered significant damage. As a result, said the Department of the Interior, only a very small percentage of production is expected to be permanently lost.