Shell Mars platform in place after Hurricane Ida

Shell said it appeared its Mars platform in the US Gulf of Mexico did not break free from its anchorage as Hurricane Ida came ashore in Louisiana today.

"Following a flyover this afternoon in the Gulf of Mexico for a general assessment, the United States Coast Guard reported visual confirmation that Mars, Olympus, and Ursa remain on location," the company said, referring to other offshore oil and natural gas production platforms. "Shell has scheduled our own flyover tomorrow afternoon to assess several of our assets, including Mars, Olympus and Ursa in the Mars Corridor."

A Facebook post on 29 August said that the platform 130 miles south of New Orleans had "broken loose" and was "floating free in the Gulf of Mexico." The post, which was later taken down, circulated on social media as the Category 4 hurricane brought destructive wind and storm surge to southeastern Louisiana, causing widespread power outages, infrastructure damage onshore, and shut in nearly 96pc of Gulf oil production.

The same 36,500-ton offshore platform was badly damaged in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina. That storm, which made landfall in Louisiana 16 years ago to the day, ripped subsurface drilling equipment from the floor of the Gulf and blew over a 350-ton drilling rig on the platform.

By Dylan Chase