BP has evacuated all personnel from its Thunder Horse platform.

In response to Hurricane Isaias, BP PLC (BP) announced it has temporarily shut in production and removed all staff from the Na Kika and Thunder Horse offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Oil companies operating in the waters now referred to by the US as the "Gulf of America" are cutting output and pulling workers from offshore facilities.

The hurricane continues to strengthen and is expected to make landfall along the northern Gulf Coast early Friday or Saturday.

BP said Thursday it has also removed non-essential personnel from its Argos, Atlantis and Mad Dog platforms.

Shell, Chevron and Harbour Energy have also shut in production at some facilities and evacuated some workers.

Data from the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management shows that, as of Thursday morning, 1.28 million barrels per day of offshore crude production had been shut in, equal to 62.9% of current total offshore oil output, compared with only about 511,600 bpd the previous day.

A total of 121 production platforms and 5 drilling rigs have been evacuated.