Erwin Seba
HOUSTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Coast Guard warned of the possibility of port closures in Texas from Corpus Christi to Houston due to Hurricane Beryl, which is expected to make landfall on Monday morning south of Port Lavaca.
The closure of ports could result in a fleeting suspension of deliveries of crude oil to refineries and motor fuels from these plants.
Shell (LON:) Plc has completed the evacuation of workers from its U.S.-regulated Perdido production platform in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Beryl, the company said on Friday evening.
Production at Perdido was shut down before the evacuation. Shell said it had also evacuated workers from the Whale platform, which is scheduled to start production later this year.
Gibson Energy (TSX:), operator of a vast oil terminal in Corpus Christi, said operations are continuing but will take further steps depending on forecasts.
The latest forecast shows Corpus Christi will be on the droughty side of the storm, where the lightest winds and least rain can be expected. However, Beryl could still bring gusty winds to the port, so the Coast Guard will close it.
Most of the oil and production on the northern Gulf Coast is located east of Beryl’s forecast course.
Offshore production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, at about 1.8 million barrels per day, accounts for about 14% of total production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Any impact on supplies could push up prices for U.S. crude and offshore grades.
Major producer of crude oil Chevron Corp (NYSE:), one of the largest offshore producers in the U.S., said Friday that production from its operating assets remained at normal levels. It said it had evacuated non-essential personnel from some of its facilities in the Gulf of Mexico.
