Mexico

Nearly a third of U.S. deepwater production could be rendered uneconomic if Gulf of Mexico (GOM) permitting timelines are extended, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Petroleum Institute (API).

Incremental acquisitions in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) weren’t enough to lift McMoRan Exploration Co.’s earnings or production in 2010, but there are signs of a turnaround in 2011, the New Orleans-based operator said last week.

An offshore platform about 93 miles south of Lake Charles, LA, in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) used to process natural gas has been evacuated following discovery of an underwater gas leak, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement.

Incremental acquisitions in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) weren’t enough to lift McMoRan Exploration Co.’s earnings or production in 2010, but there are signs of a turnaround in 2011, the New Orleans-based operator said Tuesday.

The deadly blowout of BP plc’s Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico last April was due to “several individual missteps and oversights by BP, Halliburton and Transocean,” and to a “systemwide problem” with industry practices and government policies, said the National Oil Spill Commission last Wednesday in an advance chapter of its final report.

The deadly blowout of BP plc’s Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico last April was due to “several individual missteps and oversights by BP, Halliburton and Transocean,” and to a “systemwide problem” with industry practices and government policies, said the National Oil Spill Commission Thursday in an advance chapter of its final report.

The coming year looks to be a positive one for oilfield service operators in North America, except in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), where business may continue to be slow, energy analysts said last week.

The coming year looks to be a positive one for oilfield service operators in North America, except in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), where business may continue to be slow, energy analysts said last week.

Despite bringing relatively little damage to the United States mainland and energy interests in the Gulf of Mexico, the 2010 hurricane season, which officially ended last Tuesday, was one of the busiest in years, according to weather forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and Andover, MA-based WSI Corp.