Gulf Oil and Gas Producers Give Ike a Serious Look NEW YORK, NY (kccu-fm) - Efforts to bring oil and gas production back online in the Gulf of Mexico slowed as Hurricane Ike barreled toward the nation's energy complex, likely to be the second hurricane to slam into the Gulf in as many weeks.

Royal Dutch Shell said it would keep staffing at its offshore installations to a minimum as it monitors the storm, which was described as ``extremely dangerous'' by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sunday.

Other producers were also watching Ike, which was about 90 miles northeast of Cuba and traveling fast. The storm could strike the U.S. coast by midweek.

Oil and gas producers have been sending workers back to platforms and rigs for the past several days in the wake of Hurricane Gustav, which largely spared the nation's energy complex. Power shortages have continued to hamper the restart of some refineries on the Gulf. © Copyright 2009, kccu-fm