The US Coast Guard issued a warning about potential port closures in Texas, from Corpus Christi to Houston, and started limiting vessel traffic due to Tropical Storm Beryl, which is forecast to intensify into a hurricane before hitting land near Port Lavaca by Monday morning.
Port closures might temporarily halt crude oil shipments to refineries and motor fuel distribution from these facilities. The Coast Guard set Port Condition "Yankee" on Saturday afternoon, restricting vessel movement in ports from Matagorda Bay, located 101 miles southwest of Houston, to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Citgo Petroleum Corp reduced production at its 165,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, in preparation for Beryl's arrival. Citgo intends to operate the Corpus Christi refinery at minimal capacity as the storm progresses towards a projected landfall at Port Lavaca, a key pipeline hub.
Oil producer Shell Plc completed the evacuation of workers from its Perdido production platform in the U.S.-regulated Gulf of Mexico before the storm's approach. Production at Perdido was halted prior to the evacuations. Shell also evacuated workers from the Whale platform, slated to begin production later this year.
Gibson Energy, which operates a major oil terminal in Corpus Christi, continued operations but planned to take additional measures based on the storm's forecast. The storm was moving with maximum sustained winds of about 60 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Forecasts indicated that Corpus Christi would experience minimal winds and rain, but Beryl could still bring gale-force winds to the port, prompting the Coast Guard to restrict traffic or close the port. Most of the northern Gulf's offshore oil and gas production lies east of Beryl's forecast path.
U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore production, which accounts for about 14% of total U.S. crude output, could see supply disruptions, potentially driving up prices for U.S. and offshore crude grades. Chevron Corp, one of the largest U.S. offshore producers, reported normal production from its operated assets but evacuated nonessential personnel from some Gulf of Mexico facilities.
Murphy Oil Corp stated it has not shut down production or evacuated personnel, and is closely monitoring the storm.
