The 100-year storm

The devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina could spell change for operators in the US GoM, writes Martin Clark

IN THE end, Hurricane Katrina was bad. The damage to the oil and gas infrastructure in the US Gulf of Mexico (GoM) was simply huge, both onshore and offshore. While ordinary Americans try to come to terms with the storm and its catastrophic effects on the city of New Orleans, oil and gas experts are already looking for future lessons. The extensive casualty list – not to mention an insurance bill likely to stretch into many billions of dollars – raises serious questions about the adequacy of some platforms, rigs and pipelines working in the offshore province. While most production is expected to return to the market within weeks, over the longer term, the industry must re-examine whether its