The largest ports in Texas were forced to halt operations and vessel traffic on Sunday as Hurricane Beryl intensified and moved closer to Houston along the Texas coast.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reports that Beryl killed at least 11 people and left the Caribbean in a state of widespread destruction. It is now categorized as a category 1 hurricane, but by the time it reaches landfall on Monday, it is predicted to strengthen into a category 2 storm.
Coast Guard commanders declared a state of “Zulu” on Sunday, forcing the closure of the ports of Corpus Christi, Houston, Galveston, Freeport, and Texas City. As a result, due to expected gale force winds during the next 12 hours, all cargo and vessel movement has been banned.
Approximately 200 miles (322 km) from Houston, at Corpus Christi, is the main center for the export of crude oil from the United States. Along the Gulf Coast, Texas City and Freeport, in addition to Corpus Christi, are important oil and refined product shipping hubs.
The export of crude, the delivery of oil to refineries, and the manufacturing of motor fuels at these facilities may all temporarily stop if ports close.
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Stretching 52 miles (83 km), the Houston ship channel offers access to about 200 private terminals in addition to 8 public facilities. Transit restrictions were put in place on Sunday before all traffic was stopped.
The maximum sustained winds of Beryl have increased to about 75 mph (120 kmh), according to reports from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft, according to the NHC alert issued at 11 p.m. CDT (0400 GMT).
The NHC said late on Sunday that more reinforcement is expected before it gets to the Texas coast.
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Nearly 14,000 Texas consumers lost power on Sunday night, according to PowerOutage.us. The electricity supplier, Centerpoint Energy, said they were keeping a careful eye on the storm and implementing the appropriate safety measures.
Texas’s acting governor, Dan Patrick, has urged people vacationing along the coast to leave before the storm makes landfall.
He underlined the storm’s seriousness and asked everyone to take it seriously during a meeting with Austin officials. He emphasized how crucial it is to be ready for the next weather.
The energy infrastructure business Kinder Morgan said on Sunday that, in anticipation of the storm, it was closing its natural gas processing and storage facilities in Texas City and West Clear Lake, Dayton, and West Clear Lake.
In their statement, the business stated that they don’t think the storm will have a big impact on their pipeline operations. They have also made sure that every one of their other facilities that are in the storm’s path is operating at full capacity.
Some energy facilities in Texas had to reduce or stop operations due to wind storms induced by Beryl.
Freeport LNG took the preemptive measure of closing its pre-treatment facility and its liquefaction trains 1, 2, and 3 during the Beryl storm. According to a filing with The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the plant operators restarted the facilities as quickly as feasible after the storm to reduce flaring.
Freeport has reduced production at its liquefaction facility as a precautionary measure in response to the recent weather occurrence. As soon as it is judged safe to do so, the corporation intends to resume operations.
The Corpus Christi facility of liquefied natural gas producer Cheniere Energy is now operating without any interruptions, according to the company. All non-essential employees, however, have been relieved of their responsibilities.
Our Gulf Coast assets have a robust and well-established readiness plan in place for extreme weather events, according to a statement that was made.
A chemical producer with a plant in Corpus Christi, Chemours Co., said on Sunday that it has strengthened its storm preparation strategies. The company’s current plans call for safeguarding assets and equipment in case the storm strikes their location, as well as making sure there is a sufficient and safe workforce both during and after the storm.
Enbridge Inc. has verified that all of its U.S. Gulf assets are operational and has triggered its emergency protocols. The company has taken the required steps to guarantee the security and stability of its activities in the area. It is in charge of running significant crude export facilities close to Corpus Christi.
Gibson Energy announced on Sunday that all of its workers in Gateway and Houston were safe, and that its docks and facilities remained secure in the wake of the Corpus Christi port closure. In the same area, the corporation also has an export factory.
Citgo Petroleum Corp. is lowering output at its Corpus Christi refinery on Saturday. The facility can process 165,000 barrels of oil per day, according to sources. While Beryl is in the area, the refinery will keep running at a minimal capacity.
Energy companies like as Shell and Chevron have evacuated or closed many offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.