17-09-04 At least three oil production platforms were missing and others were damaged as Hurricane Ivan swept over the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall along the Alabama-Florida shoreline.
Houston-based Noble Energy said it was continuing to look for three platforms that were relatively close together about 50 miles south of Alabama. Company spokesman Greg Panagos said a fourth platform was damaged. All were in Ivan's main path and were producing about 3,400 bpd. No injuries were reported. Workers assigned to the platforms, anchored in nearly 300 feet of water, were evacuated before the storm hit.

Another offshore energy company, Dallas-based drilling contractor Ensco International, said one of its jackup drilling rigs was damaged by Ivan. The rig, which also had been evacuated earlier, was found floating about 80 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana. It had drifted some 40 miles south of its drilling location.
Ensco said it appeared that one of its platform rigs in the Gulf also sustained damage to a landing deck for helicopters.

BP oil company spokesman Hugh Depland said workers had reboarded a number of platforms in the Gulf owned by his company and preliminary inspections found no serious damage.
"As we begin to look at those platforms and assure ourselves of their operations integrity, we will begin to have production back on," Depland said.
Two offshore semi-submersible drilling rigs owned by two other companies were found in the Gulf with no apparent damage. They initially were reported missing in the wake of Ivan.