Oil firms on Saturday cut almost 91% of U.S. Gulf of Mexico crude oil production, or roughly 1.65 million barrels, as Hurricane Ida made its way toward major U.S. offshore oilfields, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
The regulator also estimated that roughly 84.87% of natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico has been locked down.
Ida was predicted to reach a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall west of New Orleans and could bring winds as high as 140 mph (225 kph) when it makes landfall.
Oil and gas companies evacuated 279 production platforms, representing 49.82% of the 560 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, and shut in almost 91% of their typical offshore production as the storm approached, according to the offshore regulator.
