Hurricane Francine damages energy facilities on the US Gulf Coast

Energy facilities along the US Gulf Coast have scaled back operations and evacuated some production sites following Hurricane Francine’s passage through the region.

Francine strengthened into a hurricane on Tuesday night and is moving toward the Louisiana coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported.

About 24% of crude oil production and 26% of natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico were offline because of the storm, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said Tuesday. Such disruptions can affect U.S. oil supplies and put upward pressure on domestic and offshore crude oil prices.

Offshore production in the Gulf of Mexico accounts for about 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) or about 15% of the country’s total crude oil production.

The Port of Brownsville near the Mexican border and other smaller terminals in Texas remained closed, while other ports, including those in Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Texas City and Freeport, were operating under restrictions. The ports of Houma, Morgan City and the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port were closed to shipping, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

“As Francine moves northward through the Gulf of Mexico, we will continue to work closely with our maritime industry partners to fully reopen affected ports as soon as it is safe to do so,” the U.S. Coast Guard said.

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