Corrections were made to this story Aug. 24.
Offshore oil and gas operators in the US Gulf of Mexico are evacuating platforms and rigs in preparation for Hurricane Harvey. The storm intensified into a hurricane Aug. 24 as it headed toward the Texas coast.
Based on data from offshore operator reports submitted to the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement as of 11:30 CDT on Aug. 24, personnel have been evacuated from 39 production platforms, 5.29% of the 737 manned platforms in the US gulf.
BSEE estimates that 9.56% of current gulf crude oil production, or 167,231 b/d, and 14.66% of natural gas production, or 472 MMcfd, have been shut in.
Personnel have been evacuated from one of the 10 nondynamically positioned rigs working in the gulf. None of the 21 dynamically positioned rigs, by BSEE’s count, have moved off location out of the storm’s path as a precaution.
Royal Dutch Shell PLC said it has shut in production and secured its Perdido oil and gas production hub and has returned all personnel working there to shore. ExxonMobil Corp. and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. also have reduced active personnel and production from some of their operations.
The eye of the storm is expected to make landfall near Corpus Christi, Tex., where refineries and plants—including those of Valero Energy Corp., Flint Hills Resources LLC, and Citgo Petroleum Corp.—are threatened. Downstream operators farther north around Houston also continue to monitor the situation.