(Reuters) – U.S. offshore oil producers have been taking preliminary steps forward of a storm predicted to turn out to be a hurricane in the course of the week, evacuating non-essential employees from Gulf of Mexico manufacturing platforms.

The U.S. Nationwide Hurricane Middle mentioned that the potential tropical cyclone system 9 close to the western tip of Cuba was anticipated to develop right into a hurricane on Wednesday because it strikes throughout the japanese Gulf of Mexico.

It might additionally flip into a significant hurricane when it reaches the northeastern Gulf Coast on Thursday, together with the Florida Panhandle and parts of the Florida west coast, with “danger of life-threatening storm surge and damaging hurricane-force winds.”

Storm path attribution: LSEG

Chevron (NYSE:) mentioned it was starting evacuations of non-essential employees from sure Gulf of Mexico amenities.

In the meantime, Shell (LON:) mentioned on Sunday it could shut manufacturing at its Stones and Appomattox amenities within the Gulf of Mexico as a precautionary measure, together with evacuating non-essential employees from its belongings within the Mars Hall.

Each firms mentioned that these choices had not but impacted their manufacturing.

The subsequent title on the listing of named storms is Helene, and in accordance with personal climate forecaster AccuWeather, it might make landfall as a Class 3 hurricane and probably strengthen right into a Class 4.

(This story has been refiled to drop the reference to ‘shutting output’ within the headline)