by Business AM
published on Tuesday September 24, 2024 has 11:08 •
3 min read
Main information
- Oil companies are evacuating personnel from offshore platforms due to a potential hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.
- Major oil producers, such as BP and Chevron, have halted oil and gas production at several platforms, while others, such as Shell, have taken steps to minimize risks.
- Evacuations are underway for non-essential personnel at several platforms, although production continues at normal levels at some sites.
Several major oil producers are taking precautionary measures in anticipation of a possible hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicts that a developing tropical cyclone could strengthen rapidly and possibly reach major hurricane status with winds reaching 115 miles per hour (kph) by Thursday. The storm, expected to be named Helene, could make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, bringing dangerous storm surges and powerful winds to the northeastern Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle.
In response to these forecasts, oil companies are prioritizing safety by evacuating personnel from offshore platforms. BP has begun shutting down oil and gas production at its Na Kika and Thunder Horse platforms, while curtailing production at Argos and Atlantis. Evacuations are underway for employees at these four platforms, as well as the Mad Dog platform. Chevron is also conducting evacuations, shutting down production at the Blind Faith and Petronius offshore platforms and removing non-essential personnel from the Anchor, Big Foot, Jack/St. Malo, and Tahiti platforms. Production is continuing at normal levels at these platforms.
Offshore platform closures continue
Equinor announced the evacuation of non-essential personnel from its Titan platform, while Occidental Petroleum said it would implement necessary safety procedures across its offshore operations. Talos Energy declined to comment on its specific preparations for the storm. Shell is taking steps to minimize risks by shutting down production at its Stones platform, reducing production at its Appomattox facility and suspending some drilling operations. Evacuations are underway for non-essential personnel at the Mars, Olympus and Ursa offshore facilities, although production continues at those sites.
Storm system expands
The National Hurricane Center warns that the storm system is expected to expand significantly as it moves across the Gulf of Mexico. Its rapid speed as it approaches landfall is expected to bring gusty winds that will extend farther inland across parts of the southeastern United States after it makes landfall.
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