US offshore drillers have shut-in 602,715 b/d of oil production, about 32% of the Gulf of Mexico’s total output, and 496 MMcf/d of natural gas output, or 18% of the average, ahead of the expected formation of a tropical storm Thursday off Louisiana’s coast, according to Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement data based on company surveys. BSEE said 15 platforms and four non-dynamically-positioned rigs have been evacuated, and three dynamically-positioned rigs have been moved off site. The figures were based on operations reported to BSEE as of 11:30 am CDT (1630 GMT) Wednesday. BSEE plans to update the data daily as long as the storm remains a threat to Gulf Coast energy infrastructure. Chevron, Anadarko and BP have started shuttering Gulf of Mexico production and evacuating staff from drilling platforms ahead of a tropical […]