The US Coast Guard has issued warnings of potential Texas port closures from Corpus Christi to Houston as Tropical Storm Beryl intensifies into a hurricane. The impending storm could temporarily halt shipments of crude oil to refineries and motor fuels from those plants.
Port condition “Yankee” was set by the Coast Guard captain of the port of Corpus Christi on Saturday afternoon, restricting vessel movement in ports from Matagorda Bay, 101 miles southwest of Houston, to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Citgo Petroleum Corp has started cutting production at its 165,000 barrel-per-day Corpus Christi refinery ahead of Beryl’s expected landfall at Port Lavaca. The refinery will operate at minimum production as the storm approaches the Texas coast.
Oil producer Shell Plc has completed the evacuation of workers from its Perdido production platform in the U.S.-regulated Gulf of Mexico, where production was shut prior to evacuations. Shell also evacuated workers from the Whale platform, which is scheduled to start production later this year.
Gibson Energy, operating a large oil terminal in Corpus Christi, reported continuing operations but indicated readiness to take further steps depending on the storm’s forecast.
As of Saturday, Beryl was moving with maximum sustained winds near 60 mph (95 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasts suggest that Corpus Christi might experience the storm’s dry side, where the lowest winds and least rain could be expected. Nonetheless, gale-force winds are anticipated, prompting the Coast Guard to restrict traffic or close the port.
Most of the northern Gulf’s offshore oil and gas production is east of Beryl’s forecast track. The US Gulf of Mexico offshore production, which accounts for about 1.8 million barrels per day, constitutes around 14% of total US crude output, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Any disruption could impact oil supplies and potentially increase prices of US oil and offshore crude grades.
Chevron Corp, among the largest US offshore producers, stated that production from its operated assets remains normal, although it has evacuated nonessential personnel from some of its Gulf of Mexico facilities. Murphy Oil Corp reported that it has not shut in production or evacuated personnel and continues to monitor the storm’s progress.
The situation remains dynamic, and the industry is preparing for further actions as Hurricane Beryl advances towards the Texas coast
