Oil majors restoring US Gulf output after Hurricane Isaias; chem impacts being assessed

US Gulf oil and gas producers are gradually restarting operations following Hurricane Isaias, with less than a third of facilities still offline as of Monday, according to the US Marine and Minerals Administration (MMA). The hurricane made landfall Friday night as a Category 2 storm near Destin in Florida's Panhandle, marking the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season to hit the US Gulf Coast since 2024.

While Ascend Performance Materials' nylon plant in Pensacola continued to operate normally after the storm, Huntsman's maleic anhydride plant in the same location has not commented on its status. Chevron's Pascagoula refinery in Mississippi also remained operational and is presently supplying customers. Ports along the Gulf Coast, including Pascagoula, Mobile, and Pensacola, have reopened, allowing for the resumption of rail transport by Norfolk Southern and CSX, which experienced minimal impact from the storm.

Approximately 125,000 customers in Florida and 15,000 in Alabama remain without power, a significant improvement from around 900,000 customers without electricity on Saturday. The prolonged power outages could hinder economic activities and reduce demand for plastics and chemicals.