AmericasOffshore

Rigs in Gulf of Mexico begin evacuation ahead of possible strike by Hurricane Nate

Offshore oil and natural gas production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico are being evacuated again as another tropical storm bears down on the area, according to Reuters.

Residents in US Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are being warned to prepare for a possible hit, too.

Tropical Storm Nate could reach Hurricane status as soon as Saturday when it is forecast to make landfall somewhere between Mobile, Alabama and Tallahassee, Florida as a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 75mph.

Both the trajectory and force of the are subject to change.

Chevron, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell have begun withdrawing personnel from offshore rigs.

Marathon Oil and ConocoPhillips say they are monitoring the path of Nate but as of Thursday afternoon had not pulled any staff.

Louisiana ports were all open on Thursday. Some of them have been hosting tankers that were unable to go to Texas berths until the Texas ports are dredged following disturbance caused by Hurricane Harvey.

This follows two months in which the Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria have wrought huge damage in the Gulf, the Caribbean and southeast United States.

Donal Scully

With 28 years experience writing and editing for newspapers in the UK and Hong Kong, Donal is now based in California from where he covers the Americas for Splash as well as ensuring the site is loaded through the Western Hemisphere timezone.
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