On Monday, many oil producers in the US Gulf of Mexico shut offshore production and evacuated workers from platforms due to the approaching Hurricane Zeta.
According to US offshore energy regulator, energy producers in the region slashed 16% or 293,656 bpd of oil and 6% or 162.57 mcfd of natural gas production as Zeta steamed toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
Occidental Petroleum Corp. was taking measures to brace against the storm’s path, BP, BHP Group Ltd., Chevron, and Equinor have pulled workers off platforms and stopped production, while Royal Dutch Shell paused drilling and limited staff movement to its platforms as the hurricane is seen to approach the northern Gulf Coast at or near hurricane strength on Wednesday.
On a related note, Louisiana Offshore Oil Port is imposing storm procedures but oil deliveries to its onshore storage were not affected. Yesterday, export ports from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Pascagoula, Mississippi, were open but under warnings to expect gale-force winds within 48 hours.
