Ike Destroys Numerous Gulf Platforms

By: Associated Press

Updated: Sun 11:12 PM, Sep 14, 2008

HOUSTON (AP) - Federal officials say it appears Hurricane Ike
destroyed a number of production platforms and damaged some of the
pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico.

Lars Herbst is regional director for the U.S. Minerals
Management Service. He said today that flyovers revealed that at least 10 production platforms were destroyed by the storm.

Herbst stressed the assessments were preliminary, but the damage appeared far worse than that caused by Hurricane Gustav two weeks
ago.

Specifics about the size and production capacity of the destroyed platforms were not immediately available.

There are about 3,800 production platforms in the Gulf, including 717 with full-time staffs aboard.

The MMS says Hurricane Katrina destroyed 44 platforms three years ago, and soon after Hurricane Rita destroyed 64.

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