choppers are ready for hurricane season

The Gulf of Mexico’s six-month hurricane season kicked off June 1. Chevron has prepared for it through design, workplace safety training and by maintaining our own fleet of 18 helicopters for flying to and from our production platforms.

Chevron is among the top operators in the Gulf of Mexico, and having our own fleet of helicopters — as well as a detailed game plan — minimizes the potential for production disruptions when crew evacuation becomes necessary.

“Other companies that depend on contracted helicopters to evacuate can’t create their own schedule and might have to start departing the platform days in advance,” said Jose Jaramillo, manager of Chevron’s aircraft operations in the Gulf of Mexico. “With our own helicopters on standby, we have more flexibility in determining when to safely shut down the platform, and after the storm passes, we can quickly remobilize, assess our facilities and bring production back online days faster.”

Chevron focuses on protecting people and the environment.

• Our platforms are designed to withstand once-in-a-thousand-year storms and have weathered numerous hurricanes in previous years
• When a hurricane approaches, we shut down our operations before evacuating personnel. Shut-ins are meticulous but essential processes that lock hydrocarbons in reservoirs and wells.
• Our in-house helicopter fleet is then dispatched to evacuate our offshore workers.

We work with professional meteorologists who specialize in the offshore environment and provide extremely accurate forecasts several days ahead of an approaching storm. This gives us time to prepare and manage our safe and efficient evacuations.

“We try to do everything as efficiently as possible,” Jaramillo said. “We have a vested interest in keeping our employees safe and making sure we do things the right way.”