Nov 9 (Reuters) - Energy companies shut 29.6 percent of oil
production and 27.5 percent of natural gas output in the U.S.
Gulf of Mexico as Tropical Storm Ida spun through the region.
The Gulf is the source of 25 percent of U.S. domestically
produced oil and 15 percent of natural gas. About 40 percent of
U.S. refining capacity is located on the Gulf Coast.
Crude oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose
$2 a barrel Monday, largely due to the storm threat. [O/N]
Natural gas futures gained more than 7 cents a million
BTU.[NGA/]
Here's a graphic on Ida's projected storm track:
here
Following is a summary of actions taken by oil and natural
gas companies ahead of Ida, which was downgraded to a tropical
storm from a hurricane early Monday:
HEADLINES:
- The U.S. Minerals Management Service said companies shut
384,642 barrels per day of oil (29.6 percent of total) and
1.925 billion cubic feet per day of gas (27.5 percent) in
advance of the storm. [ID:nN09518842]
- Companies evacuated 126 of 694 manned production platforms
(18.1 percent) and eight of 66 drilling rigs (12.1 percent)
currently operating in the Gulf, MMS said.
OIL:
- Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) suspended offloading
tankers. [ID:nN08202278]
- BP Plc (BP.L)(BP.N), one of the Gulf's largest producers,
said it had shut undisclosed amounts of production as a
precaution and was evacuating some personnel. [ID:nN08207106]
- Chevron Corp (CVX.N), another big producer, said it had
shut Tahiti, Blind Faith and Petronius platforms, a total of
230,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil and 160 million cubic feet
per day (MMcfd) of gas. [ID:nN09262395]
- Shell (RDSa.L), a third big producer, said Gulf production
will be cut starting Monday due to third-party shutdowns.
[ID:nN09263202]
- Murphy Oil Co (MUR.N) shut the Thunder Hawk and Medusa
platforms. [ID:nN09220042]
- Marathon Oil Corp (MRO.N) said it had shut in Ewing Bank
platform, which produces 11,700 bpd of oil and 10.5 MMcfd of
gas. [ID:nN08196994]
- Anadarko Petroleum Corp said it had shut in platforms
including Constitution, Marco Polo and Neptune.
[ID:nN09220608]
- Petrobras (PETR4.SA)(PBR.N) said it shut in its Cottonwood
platform off Texas [ID:nN09220086], about 2,100 barrels of oil
equivalent per day.
- Transocean Ltd (RIG.N) said a semisubmersible drilling rig
was evacuated and shut down. [ID:nN09263651]
NATURAL GAS:
- The Independence Hub, a major supplier of U.S. natural gas,
was shut ahead of the storm, Enterprise Products (EPD.N) said.
Enterprise's Viosca Knoll and West Delta 68 platforms were also
shut. [ID:nN09256355]
- Transco gas pipeline expects 250 million cubic feet per day
loss of natural gas throughput, operator Williams (WMB.N) said.
[ID:nN09202456]
- El Paso Corp's (EP.N) Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co said 800
mmcfd of natural gas was cut from its system [ID:nN09218288]
- El Paso Corp's Southern natural gas unit sees 240 mmcfd of
natural gas shut in due Ida [ID:nN09261945]
- Transcanada (TRP.TO) says 30 mmcfd of natural gas shut in
on its ANR pipeline system
EVACUATIONS:
- Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) said it was evacuating
nonessential personnel [ID:nN08202278]
- Shell Oil Co (RDSa.L) said it evacuated 160 nonessential
personnel from platforms offshore.
-Anadarko Petroleum Corp (APC.N) said it was evacuating
personnel from shut platforms.
- TransCanada (TRP.TO) subsidiary ANR on Sunday pulled all
personnel off platforms in the Gulf as precaution.
REFINERIES:
- The Chalmette Refinery said it is monitoring the storm and
taking precautions, but is currently operating normally. [ID:
nN09263651
- Chevron's Pascagoula refinery said it is monitoring the
storm and securing the plant, but that it plans to "operate
safely".
- Motiva's Norco refinery said it is operating normally but
monitoring the storm.
PORTS:
- U.S. Coast Guard closed Port of Mobile and halted vessel
traffic on Mobile Bay Monday afternoon as Ida approached.
[nN09273977]
- Coast Guard said traffic on the lower Mississippi River
from the Gulf to New Orleans under restrictions.
[ID:nN09219613]
- Coast Guard said Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from Gulfport,
Mississippi, to Panama City, Florida, on alert.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba, Bruce Nichols, Janet McGurty,
Kristen Hays, Edward McAllister, and Joshua Schneyer)
