Federal data shows 511,619 barrels a day, 25% of Gulf output, already offline
Oil companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico began curbing production and evacuating personnel from offshore facilities on Wednesday as the region braced for Tropical Storm Isaias, which the National Hurricane Center said is intensifying and is expected to have strengthened to a powerful hurricane by the time it makes landfall Friday.
Chevron said Wednesday that it had begun shut-in procedures at four of its assets in the Gulf, which the U.S. government calls the Gulf of America, and was evacuating all associated personnel. Production at the company’s five other Gulf facilities was running at normal levels, the company said.
Shell said it is halting production and evacuating personnel at five of its sites and has moved non-essential personnel from a sixth. British-based Harbour Energy, which agreed to buy LLOG Exploration in December 2025, said in an emailed statement that it too has begun cutting production and evacuating personnel at select facilities.
The U.S. Marine Minerals Administration said 511,619 barrels a day, or 25% of current Gulf production, had been shut in as of midday Wednesday. Oil companies operating in the Gulf are accustomed to temporarily cutting production and evacuating personnel from their rigs given the frequency of storms in the region.
The National Hurricane Center said the storm is intensifying and is expected to have strengthened to a powerful hurricane by the time it makes landfall Friday.