Hurricane Delta raked across the prime U.S. offshore oil producing areas in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday as energy companies pulled workers from offshore platforms and began securing coastal processing plants.
The storm was about 400 miles south of Cameron, Louisiana, and grinding toward the Louisiana coast at 14 miles per hour . Its tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 125 miles, the National Hurricane Center said.Delta is expected to intensify further over the Gulf's warm waters and become a major hurricane with winds of 115 miles per hour . It has halted 80per cent of the region's offshore oil and nearly 50per cent of its natural gas output.
Total SA began shutting a small oil-processing unit at its Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, people familiar with plant operation said. Cameron LNG closed its natural gas processing plant ahead of the storms arrival. The unusually high number of storms coupled with pandemic safety precautions has made this year a costly and difficult one for offshore producers.Energy ports from Port Arthur, Texas to New Orleans also were battening down under tropical storm wind advisories and warning of potential closures within 24 hours. Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, the sole deep water port on the Gulf of Mexico, halted seaborne exports and imports.