Hurricane Ida as seen from space (Photo: NASA)
Hurricane Ida hit the coast of the United States as a Category 4 hurricane in Port Fourchon, Louisiana on Sunday, impacting U.S. oil infrastructure with winds of up to 150 mph.
The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), the largest privately owned crude oil terminal in the United States, halted deliveries before the storm hit, with forecasts indicating potential impacts on its operating areas.
LOOP’s maritime terminal is located in open water approximately 29 km off the coast of Louisiana, while Port Fourchon is its land base.
The port of Louisiana is the only deepwater terminal in the US capable of landing supertankers. It comprises about 10% to 15% of the country’s domestic oil, 10% to 15% of the country’s foreign oil imports, and is also linked to about half of US refining capacity, according to the Port Fourchon website. It also serves 90% of deepwater oil production in the Gulf of Mexico.
On Sunday, more than 95% of Gulf of Mexico oil production, which represents about 1.74 million barrels a day of production, was suspended, according to the offshore regulator. The Gulf provides about 17% of the country’s oil.
