Storms Prompt Pemex Worker Evacuation in Gulf

Mexico's state oil company Pemex said on Tuesday it was evacuating 15,000 workers from installations in the Gulf of Mexico because of bad weather, adding the evacuation would have only a minimal impact on crude oil output.

Pemex gave no immediate details on what minimal impact meant in terms of barrels of oil.

The evacuation from over 60 platforms in the Bay of Campeche was a precautionary measure and was carried out in accordance with the company's emergency response procedure, Pemex said via its Twitter account.

The employees were evacuated from platforms in the Bay of Campeche, Pemex said.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said there is a 40 percent chance of a cyclone formation in the area, where there are currently thunderstorms and showers.

The port of Cayo Arcas, one of Mexico's three main oil exporting ports in the Gulf of Mexico, was closed on Tuesday morning.