Hurricane Dean Heads for US Gulf

Oil and gas companies are monitoring threatening storms, one of which is predicted to batter the Gulf of Mexico in the US as it heads towards the Caribbean today.

Fifteen rigs drilling for oil and gas sit in the path of the storm, the highest number of rigs recorded in the region.

Tropical Storm Dean has strengthened into the season's first Atlantic storm hurricane as it headed for the Caribbean, the US National Hurricane Centre says.

Yesterday Shell shut down its operations in the region following a hurricane warning and other major oil companies have said they are closely monitoring the situation.

In May this year the US Minerals and Management Service with the US Department of Energy, the US Coast Guard and the American Petroleum Institute detailed guidelines to protect operations in the region against hurricanes.

The guidelines set out higher standards for offshore operations including additional rig inspections, detailed inspections of mooring lines used on offshore equipment and site assessment within a 10-mile radius of offshore equipment.

Reported by Ozge Ibrahim