BP Pulls Offshore Staff as Tropical Storm Bertha Nears

SECAUCUS, NJ (DTN) – BP said it has begun evacuating non-essential personnel from two major deepwater production platforms in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico as Tropical Storm Bertha advances westward across the eastern basin.

The workers were removed from BP’s Thunder Horse and Na Kika offshore facilities located off the coast of Louisiana in the Mississippi Canyon area of the central Gulf of Mexico, the company announced in a statement issued Monday (7/20).

“With forecasts indicating the storm may track westward in the coming days, we have taken steps to prepare,” the BP statement said. “Out of an abundance of caution, bp has removed some non-essential personnel.”

The company has not reported any immediate shut-ins or reductions in crude oil and natural gas production at either deepwater facility.

Thunder Horse and Na Kika are critical deepwater hubs, together representing a significant portion of BP’s total offshore production capacity in the Gulf of Mexico.

Market participants are monitoring the system’s progression closely as potential supply disruptions threaten to tighten Gulf Coast crude availability.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Bertha is packing 60 mph winds and creeping north-northwest across the northern Gulf, triggering surge risks in the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana.