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Posts Tagged ‘1947’

“Back to the Future”- 1947 Oil and Gas is the Gulf’s newest operator

Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »

1947 Oil and Gas is a great name choice given that the first offshore oil well beyond the sight of land was completed in 1947 (see photo). The numeric name choice is reminiscent of historically important team names like the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia 76ers.

The name is especially fitting given that 1947’s first acquisition, Renaissance Offshore, operates entirely on the Gulf shelf (map below). Renaissance is a significant shelf producer ranking 19th among all Gulf operators in both oil (791,572 bbls) and gas (1,335,009 mcf) production in 2025. Renaissance ranked 6th in oil production and 7th in gas production among companies that focus on the shelf.

A challenge for 1947 will be improving Renaissance’s compliance and safety record:

  • In 2025, Renaissance was one of only four companies that operated more than 10 shelf platforms and had INC/facility inspection ratios >1.0.
  • Renaissance has averaged 0.93 violations (INCs) per inspection since 1/1/2020, trailing only Cox legacy Array in INC frequency.
  • In 2019, a worker fell to his death at the Renaissance Eugene Island 331 B platform. BSEE’s investigation found that Renaissance failed to maintain all of its walking and working surfaces in a safe condition, that supervisors failed to promptly correct or prevent employees from accessing the uncorrected and uncontrolled walking and working surface hazard area, and that Renaissance and its contractors failed to follow the agreed upon terms and conditions within their respective Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) bridging arrangements. (Renaissance incurred a seemingly modest $105,292 civil penalty for this incident. There is no public information on any settlement with the victim’s family.)

“Between 2012 and 2014 Renaissance grew substantially with the acquisition of sixteen Gulf of Mexico producing fields, fifteen of which are operated and most are 100% owned.” 1947’s financial strength is unclear. Hopefully, BOEM will verify that satisfactory decommissioning financial assurance arrangements are in place before any lease assignments are approved.

Renaissance operations being acquired by 1947 Oil and Gas

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A bit more on that “first OCS platform” (1947)

Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, tagged , , , , on July 28, 2022| 2 Comments »

Kermac 16, Energy Global News
  • Located in Ship Shoal Block 32
  • Constructed by Brown & Root for Kerr-McGee.
  • Supported by sixteen 24-inch pilings, 104 feet of penetration
  • 2,700 square foot wooden deck (I recall reading that the deck had previously been used as a railroad bridge, but I can’t find the source.)
  • Withstood Category 5 hurricane a week after drilling began in 1947. (It must have withstood many more because BOEM’s platform file indicates that the platform remained in place until 1988. Other reports indicate that the platform produced continuously for 37 years.)
  • The platform was supported by an attendant barge that provided living quarters and equipment and materials needed for the drilling operations. This was reportedly the first drilling tender.
  • BSEE’s borehole file records indicate that 31 wells were drilled on this block beginning in September 1947.
  • BOEM’s production file shows initial production rates of 7000 to 10,600 bbls of oil per month. The accuracy of these old data is uncertain.
  • This was reportedly the first time drilling crews worked 12-hour tours for seven days and then rotated to shore for seven days off.

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