Tropical Storm Beryl to have little impact on US offshore oil output, companies say (updated)

Murphy Oil

05/07/2024 21:52

(Adds statement from Woodside in paragraph 8)
    By Arathy Somasekhar
       HOUSTON, July 5 (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Beryl is
expected to have little impact on U.S. offshore oil and gas
production, energy companies said on Friday while evacuating
personnel from some facilities out of caution. 
     Beryl was downgraded from a hurricane and shifted over
Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula with maximum sustained winds dipping
to 70 mph (113 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
    U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore production of about 1.8 million
barrels per day accounts for about 14% of total U.S. crude
output, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information
Administration. Any impact on supplies could push up prices of
U.S. oil and offshore crude grades. 
    Oil major Chevron Corp  CVX.N , among the biggest U.S.
offshore producers, said production from its operated assets
remained at normal levels, adding that it evacuated nonessential
personnel from some of its Gulf of Mexico facilities. 
    The company said it demobilized personnel at its Anchor
project, where first production is expected in the third
quarter.
    Producer Murphy Oil Corp  MUR.N  said it did not expect any
impact on operations and had not evacuated personnel. Hess Corp
 HES.N  said it did not expect any impact to its Gulf
facilities.
    Occidental Petroleum  OXY.N  said it was monitoring the
storm's path, adding that it had plans to prepare facilities for
weather-related events.
    Woodside Energy Group  WDS.AX  said it did not plan at this
point to evacuate staff or shut in production given the storm's
path. 
    On Thursday, Shell  SHEL.L  said it evacuated staff at its
Perdido facility in the U.S. Gulf and safely shut in production.
At its Whale facility, which is not scheduled to begin
operations until later this year, it evacuated all personnel.
Some drilling operations in the area were paused. 
    Texas gasoline and diesel markets are well-stocked, so no
significant supply disruption is expected for the long term,
fuel distributor Mansfield Energy wrote in an email to clients. 
    LNG producer Cheniere Energy  LNG.N  said there was no
impact to operations and it was monitoring the storm's
development. 
    The U.S. Coast Guard implemented Condition Whiskey, which
can limit ship traffic, for the Port of Brownsville along the
U.S.-Mexico border and the Port of Corpus Christi in south Texas
on Wednesday. Whiskey is set when gale force winds are expected
to arrive at the port within 72 hours.
    

 (Reporting by Arathy Somasekhar and Curtis Williams in Houston;
Editing by Rod Nickel)
 ((arathy.s@thomsonreuters.com; +1 832 610 7346; Twitter:
@ArathySom;))