Energy facilities along the U.S. Gulf Coast have reduced operations and evacuated some production sites as Hurricane Frances passes through the region.
The US National Hurricane Center said that Tropical Storm Francine became a hurricane on Tuesday evening and is now moving towards the coast of Louisiana.
The US Environmental Safety and Enforcement Administration said on Tuesday that about 24 percent of crude oil production and 26 percent of natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico were shut down due to the hurricane.
According to the US Coast Guard, ports in Houma, Morgan City and the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port have been closed.
“As Hurricane Frances moves north 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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