Tropical storm Zeta headed for central US Gulf

Yet another tropical storm system is expected to hit the central US Gulf of Mexico this week, leading to the shut in of oil and natural gas production in the region.

Tropical storm Zeta was located southwest of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula this evening with maximum sustained winds of 50mph. It is expected to pass over the Yucatan and into the Gulf the morning of 27 October and continue north toward the Louisiana coast. Zeta is forecast to be at or just below hurricane strength when it makes landfall by 28 October.

BP said it is securing its offshore facilities and evacuating personnel from its four offshore platforms. ExxonMobil said it is monitoring the storm. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Safety (BSEE) expects to have data on shut-in production tomorrow.

This Atlantic hurricane season has been one of the busiest in history, with 10 named storm hitting the US mainland so far. The most recent, Hurricane Delta, came ashore in Creole, Louisiana, as a Category 2 storm, bringing 100mph (161 km/h) winds and coastal storm surge.

At its peak, Delta shut in 92pc of Gulf oil production and knocked out electricity to nearly 900,000 people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

About 17pc of US crude production and 5pc of natural gas production comes from the offshore Gulf of Mexico.