By Jessica Resnick-Ault and Yareth Rosen NEW YORK/ANCHORAGE, Alaska, April 1 (Reuters) – Several workers on a BP Plc oil platform in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico have tested positive for coronavirus, the company said on Wednesday, a day after a worker atBP’s operations in Alaska also tested positive.
The cases are the first recorded among oil workers in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska, and follow a positive test at an Equinor offshore project in the North Sea.
A case of the coronavirus was also reported at BP’s Whiting, Indiana refinery, according to local media reports.
More than 850,000 people have been infected by the virus worldwide, which has killed more than 42,000 people.
The disease outbreak presents special challenges for oil companies’ offshore platforms and other isolated locales. Such facilities bring workers in and out on a rotating basis, keeping them in place for a designated time before new workers replace them.
BP and other companies have already extended their designated work periods to limit travel.
The worker who tested positive at BP’s operation in Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay has been isolated, the state’s chief medical officer said. The worker was an Alaska resident who had recently traveled out of state, its department of health and social services said in a statement.
“BP is following procedures and protocols to minimize the risk of COVID-19 and ensure the safety of our people. We are eliminating all non-essential activity on the slope,” said Megan Baldino, spokeswoman for BP Alaska.
The BP worker had returned to Alaska before travel curbs imposed on March 23, going to the North Slhope on March 25.
BP gave no details on which platform the Gulf of Mexico case was associated with, and had no immediate comment on potential production cuts in response to the cases.
But the company said in a statement that it had instituted additional cleaning and other sanitation measures to keep its workers safe during the outbreak. (Reporting By Yereth Rosen in Anchorage, Alaska and Jessica Resnick-Ault in New York; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Tom Brown)
by David Shepardson (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee will consider President-elect Joe Biden’s nomination of Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo to head the Commerce Department in a hearing...
By Ellen Francis (Reuters) – Interpol has issued red notices for the captain and owner of the ship that carried the chemicals which devastated Beirut in an explosion in August, killing 200...
By Chen Aizhu (Reuters) – China has issued 5 million tonnes of clean marine fuel export quotas in the first release for 2021, to five companies including a private refiner,...
December 31, 2020
Total Views: 4581
Sign Up Now for gCaptain Daily
Just enter your email and get hot news every morning
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.