(Reuters) – Shell said on Sunday that it would shut production at its Stones and Appomattox facilities in the Gulf of Mexico as a precautionary measure in response to a tropical disturbance.
"We are in the process of safely pausing some of our drilling operations, and currently have no other impact on our production across the Gulf of Mexico," the oil major said, adding that it has also begun evacuating non-essential personnel from its assets in the Mars Corridor.
The US National Hurricane Center said that the system located near the Gulf of Mexico has a 50% chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours.
"Environmental conditions appear conducive for development of this disturbance, and a tropical depression or tropical storm is likely to form during the next few days," the Miami-based weather forecaster said.