Offshore oil and gas workers have been evacuated from 183 platforms in the US Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday ahead of Hurricane Delta which is expected to develop into a damaging Category 3 storm. Producers have also halted production of around 1.5 million bpd of crude oil and 1.33 Bcfd of natural gas in the region, which contributes to 17% of the country’s oil output.
Delta is expected to strengthen when crossing the Gulf of Mexico, bringing winds of up to 120 mph (193 kph), according to the US National Hurricane Center. The US Coast Guard has also issued a warning of gale-force winds at Louisiana ports in the next couple of days. The state of Louisiana has asked residents in the coastal area to evacuate.
Shell evacuated staff from nine facilities in the US Gulf of Mexico, while Chevron Corp evacuated and shut production on all of its platforms in the region. BP, BHP, Occidental Petroleum, and Murphy Oil have also ordered workers to flee and halted some production.
Onshore oil and gas processing plants have also initiated storm preparations on Wednesday. Shell’s refineries in Convent, Geismar, and Norco have all begun preparations for the storm’s arrival. Phillips 66 said Delta would delay the restart of its Lake Charles facility which was shut in late August due to Hurricane Laura.
