Oil and gas operations disrupted in Mexican Gulf ahead of Nate

Oil and gas operators started evacuating staff from platforms at the Gulf of Mexico, on Thursday, ahead of Tropical Storm Nate, Reuters reported.

Namely, Nate storm has killed at least 10 people in Costa Rica and Nicaragua and is forecast to reach Honduras and Mexico, enter the Gulf and strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall this weekend in Louisiana, near several major refineries.

Energy giant BP also informed on Thursday it was halting operations and evacuating personnel from its four platforms in the region ahead of Nate, while Shell has suspended some production.

Other major companies such as Exxon Mobil and Statoil have also withdrawn personnel from their units.

In the meantime, the US Coast Guard has begun adjusting port conditions along the Gulf Coast, as Nate continues to move north, Thursday.

The US Gulf of Mexico is estimated to pump more than 1.6 million barrels of crude per day, which is about 17% of the US output.