Mexico, U.S. GOM Operators Monitor Ida

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Energy traders and weather forecasters are warning that tropical depression Ida hovering over Honduras and Nicaragua and adverse weather due to hit the southwestern Gulf next week could pose as a threat to operators in the Gulf of Mexico, Reuters reported Friday.

So far, two Mexican oil terminals -- Coatzacoalcos and Dos Bocas -- have shut-in operations due to waves surging as high as 12 feet at both ports, Reuters said. The major oil ports are responsible for as much as 22% of Mexico's oil exports.

Additionally, state-run oil major Pemex may temporarily curtail its oil production if these shutdowns are drawn out, the report noted.

Despite these shutdowns, Mexico's main export terminal Cayo Arcas, located on the Gulf Coast, was operating without a hitch, the Latin American government confirmed. U.S. oil producers and refiners of offshore GOM installations also reported that operations are being carried out as normal.

In the meantime, the tropical weather systems will be closely monitored.

"No shutdowns at this time. We will continue to monitor the weather along the Gulf Coast and take appropriate precautions as necessary," Bill Day, spokesman for Valero Energy Corp, the largest U.S. refiner, told Reuters.

"We monitor all storms. We'll take action when it's appropriate," said Apache Corp spokesman Bill Mintz to Reuters.
 

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