Shell and Chevron shut Gulf of Mexico oil platforms after leak halts pipelines

New York
CNN
 — 

Shell and Chevron both said on Thursday that the companies halted oil production at several platforms in the Gulf of Mexico following a small leak that knocked a pair of pipelines offline.

Shell shuttered three deepwater platforms. In a statement provided to CNN, Shell said it is “coordinating with local authorities and mobilizing personnel and equipment to assess the situation.”

But late Thursday, a Shell spokesperson said that repairs were underway and that the company expected both pipelines to be back in service Friday. The leak, which the company said involved approximately two barrels of oil, was contained.

The company confirmed that its Mars and Amberjack Pipelines were shut because of a leak at the Fourchon booster station. That outage prompted Shell to shut its Mars, Ursa and Olympus platforms.

Those three platforms produced an average of 202,000 barrels per day in 2021, according to Shell. The United States produces nearly 12 million barrels of oil per day.

Shell said it is looking at “alternative flow paths.” The company’s “top priorities remain the protection of people, the community, the environment, and our assets,” the Shell said in its statement.

Chevron also confirmed to CNN the closure of three of its platforms: the Jack/St. Malo, Tahiti, and Big Foot facilities. Those three platforms are connected to the Amberjack Pipeline, the company said.