BP Plc on Monday said it is shutting in production at the Na Kika
and Thunder Horse offshore oil platforms in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico,
after forecasts indicating Hurricane Ian will strengthen in the next
few days into the northeastern Gulf. Hurricane Ian on Monday was
in the Caribbean and forecast to move over the western tip of Cuba
overnight and enter the Gulf of Mexico. Its 85-mile-per-hour (135 km/h)
winds are expected to rapidly intensify and the storm could become
a major hurricane as it crosses the Gulf's warm waters. BP said it
has evacuated all personnel from its 130,000 barrels of oil per day
(bpd) Na Kika, as well as essential personnel from its 250,000 bpd
Thunder Horse platform. The platforms have a capacity to produce
550 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d) and 200 mmcf/d of natural gas,
respectively. "We will continue to monitor weather conditions closely to
determine next steps," BP said in a statement. Chevron Corp. begun
transporting all personnel from its Petronius and Blind Faith platforms
and is shutting-in the facilities, the company said in a note, with
production at other Chevron-operated Gulf of Mexico assets remaining
at normal levels. Shell PLC said on Monday it is closely monitoring
Hurricane Ian with no impacts to its Gulf operations.