Over 23% of US Gulf of Mexico oil output shut in due to Hurricane Rafael

(Reuters) - Over 23% of crude oil production and 10% of natural gas output in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico was shut in by Hurricane Rafael, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said on Friday.

Energy producers have evacuated dozens of offshore production platforms and shut in 408,830 barrels per day of oil production and nearly 201 million cubic feet per day of natural gas from Gulf waters, the offshore regulator said.

Packing 100 mph (161 kph) winds, Rafael was in the central Gulf of Mexico on Friday and expected to remain in a meandering course there for the next several days. The National Hurricane Center predicted its winds would gradually lose strength.

The late season storm overall will reduce U.S. offshore production by about 2 million barrels of oil and 1.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas, estimates researcher Earth Science Associates.

Top offshore producers, including BP, Chevron, Equinor and Shell had evacuated employees from offshore facilities and in some cases halted oil and gas production. Occidental Petroleum said it was implementing safety procedures at its offshore facilities.

The shut-ins can take several days to reverse as companies assess the status of their facilities and return workers once the storm moves away.

(Reporting by Anmol Choubey in Bengaluru; additional reportingg by Gary McWilliams; editing by Diane Craft and Marguerita Choy)