San Francisco: Some of the world’s leading energy developers – including Chevron, Shell, Exxon and BP – were taking moderate precautions with their offshore rigs in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday as a low-pressure storm system moved through.
Shell and Chevron – the number one and number three oil producers respectively in the Gulf – had both evacuated what they called “non-essential” personnel – including cooks and maids – while BP said it was monitoring storm reports. All three firms forecast no significant impact on their output because of the weather.
The Houston Ship Channel, serving the Port of Houston and one of the world’s busiest waterways, went further, stopping outbound traffic to protect ships from rough seas. Inbound traffic stopped at around sunset.
The US National Weather Service predicted that the tropical disturbance would drop heavy rains in the Gulf, with the Texas coastline especially vulnerable. Coming just a few weeks after storm-induced floods killed about 30 people in Texas, the warnings were being well heeded.
