Hurricane Zeta pictured October 26, 2020. Image courtesy NOAA/GOES
By Erwin Seba HOUSTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) – Oil producers on Monday shut offshore production and pulled workers off platforms in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico as the 27th named storm of the season strengthened into a hurricane and took aim at the U.S. Gulf Coast.
BP, Chevron and Equinor ASA evacuated platforms and halted production, spokespeople said, as Zeta steamed toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The hurricane is forecast to sweep across the resort area and churn through Gulf of Mexico oilfields.
Energy producers shut 16%, or 293,656 barrels per day (bpd) of oil and 6% of natural gas output, or 162.57 million cubic feet per day, the U.S. offshore energy regulator said.
Zeta was 90 miles (145 km) southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, packing maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (130 km per hour) at 4 p.m. CDT (2100 GMT). It could approach the northern Gulf Coast at or near hurricane strength on Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
BHP Group Ltd also withdrew staff from its U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore facilities, and Royal Dutch Shell paused drilling and limited staff movement to its platforms. Shell has not halted production, it said in a statement.
Occidental Petroleum Corp., the third-largest producer in the offshore Gulf of Mexico, was taking steps to prepare facilities in the storm’s path.
It has been a challenging year for Gulf of Mexico oil and gas producers, with companies withdrawing workers and halting output at least six times as storms churned through.
U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore oil production accounts for about 17% of total U.S. crude oil output and 5% of total U.S. dry natural gas production.
If Zeta strikes the U.S. mainland, it would top the record of 10 named storms to make a U.S. landfall during the span of one hurricane season, set only weeks ago by Hurricane Delta.
Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, the largest deepwater oil export port on the U.S. Gulf Coast, is implementing storm procedures, it said. Oil deliveries to its onshore storage were unaffected.
Export ports from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Pascagoula, Mississippi, were open on Monday but under warnings to expect gale force winds within 48 hours. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; writing by Gary McWilliams; Editing by David Gregorio and Marguerita Choy)
CAIRO, March 2 (Reuters) – The Houthi Transport Ministry in Yemen said on Saturday there had been a “glitch” in undersea communication cables in the Red Sea as a result of actions...
by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) In the current American labor landscape, the stark contrast between the assertive strides of transportation unions and the maritime sector’s unique labor challenges is striking....
By Mikhail Flores MANILA, Dec 2 (Reuters) – Evacuations were under way in the Philippines after a quake of at least magnitude 7.5 struck the southern region of Mindanao on Saturday night,...
December 2, 2023
Total Views: 2164
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
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.