BHP Billiton evacuates two U.S. Gulf of Mexico platforms ahead of Hurricane Michael

HOUSTON (Reuters) - BHP Billiton on Monday said it was shutting in production at its Shenzi and Neptune facilities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and evacuating staff as a precaution ahead of Hurricane Michael. The storm, which is expected to make landfall along the eastern Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane, has shut in roughly 19 percent of oil production and 11 percent of natural gas production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, according to U.S. safety regulators. (Reporting by Liz Hampton; editing by Jonathan Oatis)