BP platform Thunder Horse production delayed until 2008

BP P.L.C. announced this month that it was carrying out safety work on its Thunder Horse platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The platform, which weighs more than 50,000 tons and is designed to process more than 250,000 barrels of oil a day, is unlikely to begin production before the middle of 2008. BP said a series of tests on the platform in recent months had revealed a metallurgical failure in components of the rig's subsea system.

The platform was due to start oil production last year, but this was put back when the platform developed a serious list after it was evacuated as Hurricane Dennis approached in July 2005.