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Storm expected to miss most oil infrastructure

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Set to make landfall near Tampa

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Imports and exports could be temporarily halted

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Biden approves emergency declaration

HOUSTON, Oct 7 (Reuters) - At least one oil and gas

platform in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico was shut on Monday and

Florida ports imposed restrictions on vessel navigation as

Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified.

Most energy infrastructure on the U.S. Gulf Coast, including

oil and gas production facilities, liquefied natural gas (LNG)

plants and refineries, is expected to be out of the storm path,

but the closure of terminals could temporarily disrupt exports

and imports.

Florida was the sixth largest state exporter of goods last

year, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Meteorologists forecast 10 to 15 feet (3.05 to 4.57

meters)of storm surge, 120 miles per hour (mph) to 140 mph wind

gusts and say more than 2 feet of rain is possible along the

Florida Gulf Coast in the area Milton makes landfall, probably

near Tampa.

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for

Florida.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Monday the storm

will approach the west coast of the Florida Peninsula by

Wednesday after becoming a powerful Category-5 hurricane on the

Saffir-Simpson scale.

Electricity provider Duke Energy ( DUK ) said it was

mobilizing about 10,000 responders in Florida as it prepared for

more than 1 million power outages associated with Milton.

U.S. energy producer Chevron ( CVX ) said on Monday that all

staff from its Blind Faith platform in the Gulf were transported

and the facility had been shut.

Blind Faith, located 160 miles (257.5 km) southeast of New

Orleans, is Chevron's ( CVX ) deepest water development in the world. It

produces oil from four wells and has two flow lines that route

crude and gas to a platform moored in 6,500 feet of water.

Production from Chevron's ( CVX ) other operated Gulf of Mexico

assets remained at normal levels, it added.

The U.S. Coast Guard has imposed restrictions to vessel

navigation since Saturday at most Florida ports, including

Tampa, St. Petersburg, Fort Myers, SeaPort Manatee, Panama City,

St. Joe, Key West, Port Canaveral, Jacksonville and Fernandina.

Large oceangoing vessels, including tugs and barges, already

in port or arriving shall continue with preparations and safely

depart the ports before closure, the Coast Guard said in an

advisory on Sunday.

Other ports in Florida, Mississippi and Alabama that handle

oil and fuel imports and exports, including Pensacola,

Pascagoula and Mobile, remained open on Monday, the Coast Guard

said.

LNG facilities on the U.S. Gulf Coast are mostly out of the

storm path. However, the United States exports marginal volumes

of LNG in ISO containers from the ports of Miami and Fort

Lauderdale data from the U.S. Energy Department shows.