Ike: Update on refineries and offshore facilities

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that energy production in the Gulf of Mexico remained largely shuttered Thursday as energy companies scrambled to complete evacuations and shut down refineries in advance of Hurricane Ike.

Roughly 97 percent of all oil production in the Gulf and 93 percent of all gas production is shut down, according to the Minerals Management Service, the federal agency that oversees drilling. Gulf energy production has not fully resumed since Hurricane Gustav struck Louisiana over a week ago.

Stone Energy, Shell, BP and Chevron Corp. have all evacuated their Gulf operations. In fact, some 78 percent of the platforms in the Gulf and 77 percent of the rigs have been evacuated. Platforms are the offshore structures from which oil and natural gas are produced. Rigs are offshore drilling facilities.

Port Fourchon, a hub from which about 60 percent of the drilling rigs along the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coasts are served, shut down. So did the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, which handles 13 percent of the nation's oil imports and is housed at Port Fourchon, also shut down.

In addition to offshore energy production, an estimated 12 percent of the nation's refining capacity was being shut in on Thursday. BP, Plc, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Valero Energy shut down refineries from Texas City to Houston.