Oil and gas operators rocked the offshore boat in a matter of days in mid-September with news of $6.9 billion in transactions involving Gulf of Mexico (GoM) properties on the shelf and in waters deeper than 4,000 feet as longtime operators continue the long exodus out of the region while a small flotilla of experienced players disembark on a consolidation spree.

The deals of September signal activity both on the shelf and in deepwater should top pre-Macondo levels in 2013 as instant gratification in demand for offshore services grows closer ...