By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Sept. 19 -- Even as they worked to bring offshore production back on stream from Hurricane Katrina, oil companies again began to evacuate facilities in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Tropical Storm Rita, which was building to hurricane strength as it threatened the Florida Keys on Sept. 19.
Rita could become a Category 1 hurricane within 24 hr and could threaten the central Gulf of Mexico and the Texas and Louisiana coasts within 5 days, said officials at the National Hurricane Center. Officials in Galveston, Tex., just south of Houston, called for voluntary evacuation of that city starting Sept. 20 if the weather forecast remains unchanged.
The US Minerals Management Center said 5 rigs and 83 platforms in the Gulf of Mexico were evacuated as of Sept. 19, compared with 2 rigs and 84 platforms on Sept. 16. Production of 837,648 b/d of crude and 3.375 bcfd of natural gas was shut in Sept. 19, compared with 840,921 b/d of crude and 3.383 bcfd of gas at the end of last week.
The cumulative amount of Gulf of Mexico production shut in since Aug. 16 totaled 24,835,216 bbl of crude and 115.9 bcf of natural gas.
