Oil, Gas Companies Evacuate GOM Staff Ahead of Tropical Depression

Several oil and gas companies with operations in the Gulf of Mexico are taking precautions ahead of Tropical Depression Nine, which may become a tropical storm Tuesday afternoon.

• BP plc evacuated all non-essential personnel from its four operated platforms in the Gulf and began shutting-in production at the Thunder Horse, Na Kika and Atlantis platforms. Mad Dog, BP’s other offshore production platform in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico, continues to operate
• Royal Dutch Shell plc shut in production at the Coulomb field; production is unaffected at all other Shell-operated assets
• Hess Corporation is securing its facilities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and evacuating non-essential personnel
• BHP Billiton has evacuated some of its non-essential personnel
• Anadarko evacuated non-essential personnel from its operated properties in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, which include the Constitution, Marco Polo and Heidelberg facilities; production continues across all producing facilities

According to The Weather Channel, Tropical Storm Nine is expected to turn toward the Gulf Coast Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement estimates that about 22 percent of the current oil production in the Gulf of Mexico was shut down due to the impending disturbance.