Energy companies on Monday began evacuating staff from their offshore facilities in the US Gulf of Mexico as Delta, the 25th named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season formed in the Caribbean sea. Delta is expected to develop into a Category 3 hurricane before entering the offshore oil-producing region on Wednesday. According to the storm’s projected path, Delta is estimated to make landfall on the central Gulf Coast later this week.
The US National Hurricane Center said Delta would bring up to 194 km/h winds, heavy rains, and a storm surge beginning Thursday, with affected areas covering Louisiana to the Florida panhandle. Residents of Louisiana have been urged to prepare for the storm. Delta is expected to be the 10th storm to arrive at US soil this year, the most since 1916.
Non-essential staff have been evacuated from BP and BHP’s offshore platforms, with BHP planning to idle its facilities by Wednesday. Occidental Petroleum said it initiated plans to protect workers and facilities. Murphy Oil and Royal Dutch Shell said they were monitoring the storm. The US Gulf of Mexico contributes to 17% of US oil output and 5% of the country’s dry natural gas production.
