Mars, Ursa offshore platforms off line until early June

Two US Gulf deepwater platforms that feed into the Mars crude stream are off line for planned maintenance until early next month.

The Mars and Ursa platforms started maintenance last week that will last until early June, and the work includes full shutdowns of the platforms as "is common," operator Shell said.

The Mars and Ursa platforms are the same platforms had seen production restored in early November following repairs to fix damage from Hurricane Ida on an offshore transfer station, the West Delta-143 A facility, in August 2021.

The total Mars system carried 488,000 b/d during the first quarter, according to Shell Midstream, up from 408,000 b/d during the first quarter last year.

Spring is a common time for offshore maintenance, coming after turbulent winter weather but ahead of hurricane season, which starts on 1 June.

By Amanda Smith