US Gulf Coast ports forced to close ahead of Tropical Storm Beta

Oil

The US Coast Guard has been forced to stop operations at the Houston, Freeport and Galveston ports in Texas ahead of Tropical Storm Beta, which is set to make landfall on Tuesday, Reuters report. The closures come as output in the US Gulf Coast continues to struggle recovering from the previous impacts caused by Hurricane Sally, with the Bureau of Safety and Environment (BSEE) stating that around 180K b/d of oil output and 23 production platforms remain closed as of Sunday. A hurricane watch has been issued by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) for most of the Texas coast.