Storm Shuts Nearly 40% Of US Gulf Of Mexico Oil Output

Nearly 40% of daily crude oil production was lost from offshore U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GoM) wells on Oct. 9 due to platform evacuations and shut-ins ahead of Hurricane Michael.

Since Oct. 8, oil producers, including Anadarko Petroleum Corp., BHP Billiton, BP and Chevron Corp., have evacuated personnel from 75 platforms as the storm made its way through the central GoM on the way to landfall on Wednesday on the Florida Panhandle.

Companies turned off daily production of about 670,800 barrels of oil and 726 million cubic feet of natural gas by midday Oct. 9, according to offshore regulator the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).