(Reuters) – Energy companies operating in the U.S. Gulf Coast have started to scale back operations and evacuate production locations in anticipation of the major hurricane this week, which is forecasted to sweep through offshore oil-producing areas.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said a Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine was expected to rapidly intensify over the Gulf of Mexico and could become a hurricane by Wednesday, strengthening into a major hurricane on Thursday.
The storm could bring the risk of life-threatening storm surge and damaging hurricane-force winds to the northeastern Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle, according to the NHC.
Offshore production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico accounts for approximately 1.8 million barrels per day or about 15% of the nation’s total crude output. Disruptions have the potential to affect U.S. oil supplies, leading to upward pressure on prices for domestic oil and offshore crude grades.
U.S. natural gas futures jumped and oil prices followed suit due to concerns that oil and gas producers along the Gulf Coast might scale back production in anticipation of a potential hurricane.[O/R][NGA/]
OPERATOR FACILITY DATE DETAILS
Shell Stones and Appomattox Sept. 22 Evacuating
facilities non-essential personnel from its
assets in the Mars Corridor, have
paused some of their drilling
operations, and shut production at
its Stones and Appomattox
facilities in the Gulf of Mexico.
Chevron Blind Faith, Petronius, Sept. 23 Evacuated all personnel from Blind
Anchor, Big Foot, Jack/St. Faith and Petronius platforms and
Malo, and Tahiti platform the facilities have been shut-in.
Non-essential
personnel were also being
transported from Anchor, Big Foot,
Jack/St. Malo, and Tahiti
platforms.
Equinor Titan oil production platform Sept. 23 Evacuated some staff
from its Titan oil production
platform in the U.S. Gulf of
Mexico.
BP Argos, Atlantis, Mad Dog, Na Sept. 23 Removed non-essential
Kika and Thunder Horse personnel from Argos, Atlantis,
platform Mad Dog, Na Kika and Thunder Horse
platforms. Shut in production at
Na Kika and Thunder Horse
platforms, and curtailed
production from Argos and Atlantis
platforms.
(Reporting by Anushree Mukherjee in Bengaluru, Additional reporting by Seher Dareen, editing by Ed Osmond)
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