HOUSTON, Sept 2 (Reuters) – The volume of oil shut in by Hurricane Ida in the Gulf of Mexico rose on Thursday to 1.7 million barrels per day of offshore oil output, up 240,000 barrels from a day earlier, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said.

Hurricane Ida tore through the Gulf over the weekend, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of oil production platforms. Restarts have been slowed by onshore logistics problems.

On Thursday, 2.04 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico were shut, from 1.88 billion in the previous day, the regulator said.

The offshore wells account for 16% of total U.S. crude oil production and 5% of its dry gas production.

The amount of oil shut-in has grown despite the return of more crews to platforms, the numbers showed. A total of 177 platforms remained evacuated, against 249 a day earlier. The data reflects voluntary reports by oil companies.