Fury

Rescuers on Friday were attempting to reach a life raft containing a 10-member crew that was forced to abandon ship in the fury of Tropical Storm (TS) Nate in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Geokinetics Inc. said three of its workers and seven contractors had been aboard the Trinity II to support an ocean bottom cable project in the Bay of Campeche. The company said the storm disabled the ship Thursday and the crew was last seen boarding a life raft. Houston-based Geokinetics, which performs seismic testing for the oil and gas industry, said rescuers were attempting to reach the crew but were hampered by the inclement weather. “The safety and welfare of our employees is paramount and we are coordinating with maritime authorities to expedite the rescue effort as we continue to gather the facts,” said Geokinetics CEO Richard Miles. Mexico’s state-owned petroleum company, Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), said it had dispatched two ships to search for the workers off the coast of Tabasco state.

Rescuers on Friday were attempting to reach a life raft containing a 10-member crew that was forced to abandon ship in the fury of Tropical Storm (TS) Nate in the southern Gulf of Mexico.

While electric utilities scramble to keep up with the wind-whipped wildfires’ continuing fury Wednesday, the natural gas distribution and transmission operations of Sempra Energy’s two utilities in Southern California have remained mostly unscathed, according to spokespersons for the two utilities, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and San Diego Gas Co. (SDG&E).

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee said Friday it postponed a hearing to consider the nomination of former New Mexico regulator Suedeen G. Kelly for a seat on FERC until September, expressing concern that Kelly could face hostile questions if her confirmation were held now due to the hot-button nature of negotiations over the electricity title and energy legislation. Her hearing had been scheduled for July 16.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Friday postponed a hearing to consider the nomination of former New Mexico regulator Suedeen G. Kelly for a seat on FERC until September, expressing concern that Kelly could face hostile questions if her confirmation hearing were held now due to the hot-button nature of ongoing negotiations over the electricity title and energy legislation. Her hearing had been scheduled for July 16.

Chalk up another Gulf storm as more sound than fury with a onlya short-term impact on the cash market. Even as Tropical StormFrances caused heavy flooding along the Texas and Louisiana coastsFriday (preventing a number of Houston traders from getting to theoffice), prices were flat to down a nickel or so at Eastern points.Sources said much of the softness Friday, following on average10-cent increases Thursday, was based on the belief that much ofthe Gulf production losses would be moderating over the weekend.