Hurricane Francine Halts Operations at Key U.S. Ports

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended operations at Port Fourchon, Louisiana, due to Hurricane Francine. This closure impacts offshore energy services and follows similar suspensions at other critical Louisiana ports. As Francine heads northeast, it threatens considerable flooding across several states, affecting oil, LNG, and agriculture exports.

The U.S Coast Guard on Wednesday suspended operations at the offshore energy services hub Port Fourchon, Louisiana, as hurricane Francine bore down on the coast, according to a shipping advisory. The temporary closure of Port Fourchon, home to marine and equipment suppliers to offshore oil producers, follows the suspension of marine traffic at the deepwater Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), and the commercial ports of New Orleans, Cameron, and Lake Charles on Tuesday. These ports are essential to oil, LNG, and agriculture exports.

On Wednesday, Hurricane Francine was moving northeast with maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour (150 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported. Francine is expected to accelerate later in the day and make landfall in Louisiana. Its center is forecast to cross Mississippi on Thursday.

The hurricane is anticipated to bring heavy rainfall and significant flooding risks across southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, far southern Alabama, and northern Florida. Oil refiners and fuel distributors along the Louisiana coast are bracing for the storm's impact.

As the hurricane moved north from the Texas coast on Wednesday, some ports, including Brownsville near the Mexico-U.S. border, began post-storm assessments in preparation for reopening, the Coast Guard indicated. On Wednesday, oil and natural gas futures surged due to a decline in U.S. oil inventories and concerns over supply disruptions from the storm. The Gulf of Mexico accounts for roughly 15% of all domestic oil production and 2% of natural gas output, according to federal data.