Platforms

Natural gas and oil producers and pipeline operators working in the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) began shutting in production and evacuating platforms and rigs early Thursday in preparation for Tropical Storm (TS) Nate, which potentially could make landfall on the Gulf Coast this weekend.

An investigation was ongoing Thursday following a predawn fire aboard the Ship Shoal 266 A owned by Renaissance Offshore LLC, an oil and gas platform 80 miles offshore Grand Isle, LA.

The liquefied natural gas (LNG) spot market will get a shot in the arm once the Global LNG Exchange (GLX) launches with the goal of streamlining transactions.

After more than two months of relative calm, the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season has become significantly more active, prompting operators in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) to shut in more than 11% of oil and more than 5% of natural gas, but — for the moment, at least — the chances of any significant disruption seem to have lessened.

Progressives in the Democratic Party, many of them supporters of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and his failed bid for the presidency, were reportedly unable to get a nationwide moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (fracking), an idea championed by Sanders, added to their party’s official platform.

Drilling activities at a project in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico were halted Friday after a Nabors Industries Ltd. employee was killed, federal regulators said.

Crestwood Equity Partners LP has said “no, thanks” to Raging Capital Management LLC’s “Crestwood Comeback” program, which includes a distribution cut and unit buyback.

Encana Corp.’s Deep Panuke natural gas platform offshore Nova Scotia restarted two weeks ago to take advantage of cooler weather in the Boston region, CEO Doug Suttles said Thursday.

No injuries were reported after a Gulf of Mexico drilling platform offshore Louisiana caught fire early Friday, forcing the evacuation of 28 people, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said.