Apache: Gulf Shut-In Output Up To 6,000 B/D Oil, 110 MMcf/D Gas Due To Alex

30th Jun 2010 14:56

HOUSTON (Dow Jones)--Apache Corp. (APA) said Wednesday it has increased the amount of oil and gas production shut in the Gulf of Mexico due to Hurricane Alex, which is expected to make landfall late in the day or early Thursday. About 6,000 barrels of oil a day and 110 million cubic feet of natural gas are offline as of Wednesday morning, said Bob Dye, a spokesman for the Houston-based company. The independent oil and gas producer, which has most of its operations in the shallow water of the Gulf, said 15 offshore facilities and three onshore fields are currently down ahead of Alex, which became the first hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic season late Tuesday. Dye said production could remain shut-in for "a few days." At 0900 GMT, the center of Alex was located 175 miles east of the Mexican coastal town of La Pesca and 235 miles southeast of Brownsville, Texas, at the point the U.S.-Mexico border reaches the ocean, the National Hurricane Center said. Chevron Corp. (CVX), Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA), Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) BP PLC (BP) and ConocoPhillips (COP) have also shut down production ahead of the storm. -By Isabel Ordonez, Dow Jones Newswires; 713.547.9207; [email protected] (MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires June 30, 2010 09:56 ET (13:56 GMT)