Cyclone kills two and halts oil and gas

Cyclone kills two and halts oil and gas

UAE gets off lightly, while Oman sees two fatalities and halts oil and gas production.

June 5, 2010 10:12 by Samuel Potter

Cyclone Phet hit Oman’s coastline over the weekend, forcing the temporary suspension of gas and oil production and killing two, reports Reuters.

Phet did weaken to a Category 1 storm, but still managed to cause the two deaths, according to state media. The first was a man trying to cross floods in the al Dhahira area, and the second was a Bangladeshi woman who was electrocuted near to Muscat.

As a precaution Oman halted its oil and gas production, though Reuters quotes a Petroleum Development Oman official who says no facilities were damaged.

“We won’t load any oil because no ship is able to anchor at our facility due to rough seas,” said a spokesman for the state-controlled company.

Meanwhile the UAE’s Fujairah port on the east coast remained open, though central command reported rough seas and bad weather. An official said: “”The port is not officially closed, it is up to the master of a vessel whether or not to bunker now.”