Despite being eclipsed in the news by shale gas and light, tight oil plays, especially those in the Permian Basin, the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) remains a vital, dynamic and necessary part of the USA oil and gas portfolio.  This is evidenced by the continued success of new government lease auctions, high levels of indiustry investment, and, most importantly, by elevated levels of oil production coming from new deepwater fields.  In total the Gulf of Mexico is producing about 2 million barrels of crude oil per day, which if it were a country, would place it as the 12 largest producer of oil in the world, just after Mexico and just before Nigeria.  The majority of GOM oil production is now sourced from the deepwater region of the Gulf.  The best illustration of the success and continued importance of the deepwater segement to the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas industry is to scroll through the production graphs of some of the deepwater fields presented below.  The majority of the fields have been clear success stories, often producting tens of thousands of barrels a day of oil with hundreds of millions of barrels of cumulative oil recovery, with one or two on track to produce over a billion barrels of oil.

Sharing the Bounty Oil and gas production from federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico generated approximately $8 billion in royalty revenue for American taxpayers in 2014. Not included in the $8 billion is the nearly $1 billion in revenue from lease sales 231 (Central Area) and 238 (Western area), which, respectively, earned the government about $850 MM, and $110 MM.  In addition, we estimate annual federal and state income tax revenues related to Gulf of Mexico production to be on the order of $10 billion to $15 billion. In total, in 2014 we estimate the government realized between $19 to $24 billion dollars from oil and gas related  exploration, development and production activities in the US Gulf of Mexico.  Numbers of this magnitude, make the US people the largest single revenue receipient and beneficiary of US offshore oil and gas development.  In essense, this makes the US government a key deepwater development partner. Link to our 3D portal map of the Gulf of Mexico, which shows the GOM from an oil and gas perspective.  We find this type of 3D representation is useful for showing what deepwater really means in comparison to shelf activities.  It is zoomable and roamable, and can be rotated for better viewing angles. Map controls:  to rotate use the left mouse button, to zoom in/out use the mouse wheel, and to roam use the right mouse button.

Gulf of Mexico Hurricane Ida Watch: Tracking GOM Hurricanes from an Oil and Gas Perspective For a full size view, click the above image Note: this image is provided for illustration purposes only and may not reflect current conditions, and as such should not be relied upon for navigation, business or personal uses.
Hurricane Ida and its relationship to Gulf of Mexico oil and gas fields and installations. For a full size version of this satellite image,  click the above image Note: this image is provided for illustration purposes only and may not reflect current conditions, and as such should not be relied upon for navigation, business or personal uses.
Wind gust map across the US Gulf of Mexico (GOM).  The wind gust speed is in knots and is provided by NOAA, which defines wind gusts as "the maximum 3-second wind speed forecast to occur within a 2-minute interval at a height of 10 meters."   Definitions For a full size view,  click the above image Note: this image is provided for illustration purposes only and may not reflect current conditions, and as such should not be relied upon for navigation, business or personal uses.

Controls for this 3D: to rotate use the left mouse button, to zoom in/out use the mouse wheel, and to roam use the right mouse button.  For full screen version of the above 3D image go here.

Gulf of Mexico: Deepwater Discoveries For a full, screen size version of this image, click this thumbnail

Controls for this 3D: to rotate use the left mouse button, to zoom in/out use the mouse wheel, and to roam use the right mouse button. For full screen version of the above 3D image go here.

The 3D image to the left is of Hurricane Laura making churning its way across the Gulf of Mexico.  The image is based on this satellite view of Hanna, with the image relief based on data provided by the National Weather Service.  Please note the wind speeds are only estimates, meaning the acutals will vary, so do not rely on this information for personal, business or safety decisions.  National Huricane Center and local weather reports are still the best sources of storm related information.

Bathymetry (depth ) map for the Gulf of Mexico Click the above image, for a full screen version of the map	Gulf of Mexico deepwater oil and gas potential is not limited to the United States,  However, the US is the furthest along in exploiting deepwater resources. Click the above image, for a full screen version of the map
Gulf of Mexico: Deepwater Fields and Water Depth Click the above image, for a full screen version of the map	United States Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Production:  Deep water and shallow water (shelf) Click the above, for a full screen version of the production plot
Offshore technology has steadily marched into deeper waters....... Click the above image, for a full screen version Courtesy of BOEM	......until it was no longer resting on the seafloor, but routinely floating in thousands of meters of water. Click the above image, for a full screen version Courtesy of BOEM

USA GOM Deepwater Drilling Activity - Field Name July 2020 Click the above image, for a full screen version	USA GOM Deepwater Drilling Activity - Rig July 2020 Click the above image, for a full screen version
For comparison, check out Gulf of Mexico drilling activity from late 2014 Click the above image, for a full screen version	Deepwater drill ship in the Gulf of Mexico Click the above image, for a full screen version Courtesy of the US Coast Guard (USCG)
Field:  Thunder Horse Blocks:  MC776; MC778; MC737 Water Depth:  5664' Production Start:  2008 For picture of the platform go here For Full Screen View of the Production Plot, Click Image	Field:  Mars-Ursa, Crosby, Kaikas Blocks:  MC807; MC935 Water Depth:  3400' Production Start:  1996 For Full Screen View of the Production Plot, Click Image
Field:  Horn Mountain Blocks:  MC084 Water Depth:  5455' Production Start:  2002 For Full Screen View of the Production Plot, Click Image	Field:  Atlantis Blocks:  GC743 Water Depth:  6285' Production Start:  2007 For Full Screen View of the Production Plot, Click Image
Thunder Horse PDQ on Location Click the above image, for a full screen version	An improperly installed valve caused the Thunder Horse PDQ to list severly in the aftermath of Hurricane Dennis.  BP quickly and successfully remedied the situation, resulting in the Thunder Horse field being one of the largest producers in the Gulf of Mexico. Click the above image, for a full screen version Courtesy of the US Coast Guard (USCG)
Field:  Constitution/Ticonderoga excludes Ceasar.Tonga Blocks:  GC679, GC680 and GC768 Water Depth:  4998' Production Start:  2006 For Full Screen View of the Production Plot, Click Image	Field:  Shenzi Blocks:  GC609, GC610, GC652, GC653, GC654 Water Depth:  4310' Production Start:  2007 For Full Screen View of the Production Plot, Click Image
Development:  Perdido:  Field: AC857; AC859 Blocks:  AC821, AC813, AC856, AC857, AC901 Water Depth:  7918' Production Start:  2010 For Full Screen View of the Production Plot, Click Image	Development:  Tahiti:  Field: GC640 Blocks:  GC596, GC597, GC640, GC641 Water Depth: 4326' Production Start:  2007 For Full Screen View of the Production Plot, Click Image
Development:  Jack:  Field: WR627, WR678 and WR759 Jack (WR758 and WR759), St Malo (WR634, WR677, WR678), and Julia (WR540, WR584, WR627) Water Depth:  7000' Production Start:  2014 For Full Screen View of the Production Plot, Click Image	Development:  Big Foot (WR 29) Water Depth:  5200 Production Start:  2018 For Full Screen View of the Production Plot, Click Image Big Foot:  After flowing only one well the first 6 months after production started, the operator brought online a 2nd well in mid-June.