The Atlantic Basin hurricane season is expected to be busier than normal, according to a mid-year update from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The outlook increases the potential for rate volatility in tankers and other ships as capacity gets tied up or delayed throughout the Atlantic Basin.
NOAA says there's a 60% chance of an "above-normal" hurricane season for the remainder of 2017. The new outlook is a bump up from NOAA's May outlook, which was for a 45% chance of an above-normal hurricane season.
The new forecast, which comes toward the busiest part of the hurricane season, slightly bumped up the number of named storms expected in the Atlantic Basin this year. NOAA now expects between 14 and 19 named storms, compared to an earlier forecast of between 11 and 17. It expects between two and five major hurricanes compared to an earlier forecast of between two and four.
The 2017 season has seen six named tropical storms already. Tropical storm Cindy shut down tanker loadings in the US Gulf for about a week in late June, but no major damage was reported.
Currently, tropical storm Franklin is passing over the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, but it has largely dissipated over land. Several oil ports along the Gulf Coast of Mexico, including Tuxpan, Veracruz, and Dos Bocas remained closed Thursday, but no damage has been reported.
