Enbridge restores offshore pipelines after hurricane shutdown

Two natural gas pipelines that connect offshore U.S. Gulf of Mexico production platforms resumed operation on Tuesday, Enbridge Inc said, after hurricane-related shutdowns last week.Energy companies continued to restart offshore operations after completing damage assessments following Hurricane Laura, which tore through the Gulf of Mexico with up to 150 mile per hour (240 kmh) winds. Oil and gas producers have returned crews to 228 of 310 evacuated offshore facilities, the U.S. Interior Department reported.

The Garden Banks pipeline, a 1 billion cubic feet per day natural gas line that connects to the Auger, Baldpate, Enchilada, and Magnolia offshore production platforms, was halted as a precaution last week.

It had remained shut as a communications problem was discovered when workers moved to restart operations, the company said on Monday.

Enbridge on Tuesday also lifted force majeure on its Nautilus line after an onshore facility completed unplanned maintenance, a spokesman said.