Energy companies were securing offshore production platforms and evacuating workers on Tuesday, some for the sixth time this year, as a major hurricane took aim at U.S. oil production in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hurricane Delta, the 25th named storm of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season, was churning in the Caribbean with sustained winds of 140 miles per hour (225 kph), already a dangerous Category 4 storm that is expected to scrape across Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula and re-enter the Gulf of Mexico.
Royal Dutch Shell Plc said on Tuesday it was evacuating nonessential workers from all nine of its offshore Gulf of Mexico operations and preparing to shut production.
BP Plc and Chevron Corp were shutting in production on platforms and evacuating workers to facilities on-shore where the employees will continue to observe COVID-19 protocols.
Equinor ASA and BHP Group Ltd also shut in production and evacuated workers from platforms as the storm aimed for the heart of the U.S. offshore oil patch, the companies said.
Source: Reuters
Photo: NOAA
