Hurricanes have caused frequent flooding and destruction in Houston
Hurricane season tests Gulf of Mexico
The region has mostly avoided devastating violent storms over the past decade, but 2020 may have been a turning point
Hurricane Ida has been a powerful reminder of the vulnerability of one of the most important oil- and gas-producing regions in the US. At the storm’s peak, almost all Gulf of Mexico production was shut in and one-third remained offline over three weeks after the storm barrelled through. For European major Shell, its West Delta 143 complex will stay offline until end-2021, keeping around 12pc of total Gulf production from the market. The US Gulf enjoyed a decade of relative calm, with the last major storm season back in 2008. But the 2020 hurricane season changed all that. It was the most active Atlantic storm season on record, with five hurricanes and one tropical storm, leaving many to ques
Also in this section
14 April 2026
The GECF has warned it may revise its projections for demand this year downwards in light of conflict in the Middle East, although it maintains its forecasts for 2027 and onwards
13 April 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis highlights sharp shift from crude oversupply to market deficit, with Iraq and Kuwait badly affected and key producers Saudi Arabia and the UAE also seeing output sharply lower
13 April 2026
Turkmenistan is moving ahead with a modest expansion of the giant Galkynysh field to sustain gas deliveries abroad, but persistent delays to other key pipeline projects and geopolitical risks continue to constrain its export ambitions
13 April 2026
Expensive electricity has forced out swathes of energy-intensive industry and now threatens the country’s ability to attract future investment in datacentres and the digital economy
