Several of the leading energy developers in the world such as Shell, Chevron, BP and Exxon underwent some moderate precautionary procedures on their offshore rigs located in Mexico’s Gulf on Monday due to a low-pressure storm system moving through.
Shell, the number one oil producer in the Gulf, and Chevron, respectively the 3rd, had both ordered the evacuation of “non-essential” personnel such as maids and cooks, and BP commented that it had been monitoring all reports regarding potential storm conditions. All of the three companies did not forecast any significant impact that may be inflicted on their production due to the weather.
The Houston Ship Channel, which not only serves the Port of Houston but is also one of the busiest waterways in the whole world, went even further with its measures, stopping all outbound traffic in order to make sure that ships are safe. Inbound traffic halted at around sunset.
According to the U.S. National Weather Service, the tropical disturbance would be responsible for dropping heavy rains in the Gulf, and the coastline of Texas will be greatly vulnerable. Given the fact that merely several weeks prior storm-induced floods caused the death of 30 Texans, the warnings were not to be underestimated.