Irma: BP evacuates Thunder Horse platform in US gulf

BP PLC has begun securing offshore facilities and evacuating nonessential personnel from its Thunder Horse platform and the West Vela drilling rig in the US Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Irma moves westward over the Atlantic toward Florida.

Thunder Horse is 150 miles southeast of New Orleans in 6,050 ft of water. It can process as much as 250,000 bbl of oil and 200 MMcfd of natural gas.

BP said it’s also preparing for the possible evacuation of its remaining offshore personnel and the shut-in of production at facilities if needed. However, no production is shut-in at this time.

Elsewhere, BP has begun storm preparations at its Cooper River petrochemical complex near Charleston, SC. The plant produces 1.4 million tonnes/year of purified terephthalic acid.

In the US Gulf Coast region, which is recovering from Hurricane Harvey, BP said it has been able to meet the needs of its wholesale customers, but it expects intermittent terminal supply outages and will continue working to find alternate supplies of gasoline, diesel, and other refined fuels as needed.

BP’s US business activities were minimally impacted by Harvey. However, its Westlake campus in Houston sustained significant flooding and will be closed until further notice. Westlake employees are currently working in temporary office space.