Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Evacuations of offshore oil and gas rigs and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico will be completed within two days as Tropical Storm Gustav, forecast to strengthen into a hurricane, moves toward the region, helicopter operator Air Logistics LLC said today.

``Plans are to have everybody out of harm's way by Saturday afternoon, and then that's when we get all our stuff out of there,'' said Danny Holder, Gulf of Mexico business unit director for Air Logistics, which operates about 140 helicopters in the region.

Gustav's maximum sustained winds increased to almost 70 miles (113 kilometers) an hour at 7:30 a.m. Miami time and are forecast to reach hurricane strength, 74 mph, today, the National Hurricane Center said.

The Gulf of Mexico is home to more than one-fifth of U.S. oil production and about 14 percent of U.S. natural gas production.

To contact the reporter on this story: Barbara Powell in Dallas at Bpowell4@bloomberg.net;

Last Updated: August 28, 2008 09:59 EDT