MOSCOW (MRC) -- US oil and natural gas companies are preparing for this year’s forecast of an above-average Atlantic hurricane season, reported Reuters with reference to a security and emergency expert with the American Petroleum Institute (API).
Last year’s record 30 named storms forced shutdowns of offshore oil production that reached, at one point, 90% of 1.9 million barrels per day in production and idled refineries for weeks. Two refineries in hard-hit Lake Charles, Louisiana, were shut for months.
“We’re trying to be as prepared as possible in 2021,” said Suzanne Lemieux, API’s operations security and emergency manager, said on a conference call with energy industry experts to discuss hurricane season preparations.
Oil and gas companies have increased the number of drills and exercises, she said.
US Gulf Coast refiners have revised plans after widespread storm-related outages, said Jeff Gunnulfsen, director of security and risk management for trade group American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers.
Refiners have increased communication with government agencies and other industries as well as hardening refinery units and repositioning equipment to avoid floodwaters, Gunnulfsen said.
As MRC wrote previously, Dow said in late August, 2020, its sites along the US Gulf Coast reported no major damage from Hurricane Laura. Dow’s sites in Sabine, Beaumont, Deer Park, La Porte, Bayport and Texas City, Texas shut down operations prior to Laura making landfall. Dow's Freeport, Texas site continued operating as did facilities across Louisiana. Dow said it has not identified any significant structural damage or flooding at any of the facilities.
Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 576,270 tonnes in the first three month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 410,890 tonnes in January-March 2021, up by 56% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased.
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