U.S. oil and gas companies strained to get offshore operations back up and running on Thursday as the extent of Hurricane Ida’s damages became more apparent. Ida’s 150-mile-per-hour (240 kph) winds delivered a direct hit to the nation’s energy infrastructure. About 80% of the Gulf of Mexico’s oil and gas output remained offline in hundreds of platforms and rigs as energy firms struggled to complete aerial surveys and return workers because of damages to onshore terminals and base sites. A few companies, including BHP (BHP.AX) and Murphy Oil (MUR.N) , took first steps for restarting offshore production. But they were in the minority. Just 39 of the 288 platforms evacuated last week had received new crews by Wednesday, according to […]