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<H1>US gulf oil production down by 79 per cent</H1>
<DIV id=promoTopRight>From: Agence France-Presse </DIV>
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<DIV id=storyAuthorName>From correspondents in Washington</DIV><BR>September 05,
2005 </DIV>
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<P class=storyBodyInitial>US oil production in the Gulf of Mexico was 79 per
cent below normal overnight, six days after the region was devastated by
Hurricane Katrina, according to a US government report.</P>About 9.9 million
barrels of crude oil production has been lost since August 26, accounting for
1.8 per cent the gulf's annual total of 547.5 million barrels, according to MMS.
<P>According to the agency, 246 offshore oil platforms and 39 drilling rigs
remained unmanned after being evacuated ahead of the storm's onslaught.
<P>However, one of two key oil products pipelines, the Plantation pipeline,
returned to full operation, while the second, the Colonial pipeline, remained
operating at an 80 per cent level.
<P>With the resumption of adequate power supplies, Colonial is expected to be
back to 100 per cent operations during this long Labor Day holiday weekend, the
company said.
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<DIV id=promoIslandRight>Colonial serves the US east coast region as far as New
York, while Plantation serves the southeast region.
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