Tropical cyclone Phet hit the coast of Oman last night, but weakened from an ominous Category 4 storm down to a Category 2, leaving oil and liquefied natural gas production unharmed.   

'So far, none of our productions or operations have been affected,' said state-controlled Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), an affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell. 'However, we are watching the situation very closely.'    

Oman produces around 850,000 barrels per day of oil, a small independent producer in a region home to some of the world's largest oil powers. Its crude is exported through the port of Mina Al-Fahal, near capital Muscat to the west.

Lt Gen Malik bin Sulaiman al Maamari, inspector-general of police and customs and head of the National Committee for Civil Defence (NCCD) said the path of cyclone has taken a diversion to the right of Masirah.

In a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA), he said the cyclone is now moving eastward towards the Sharqiyah Region and will affect a number of wilayats including the wilayat of Sur.

Muscat was to the east of the latest storm path forecast on Thursday, but Omani meteorologists said the capital would feel the affects of the cyclone on Friday and Saturday.

'Phet is now at Category 2 hitting Masirah Island with a wind speed of 150 km/h (93 mph) and wave heights of about 8 metres (26 feet),' Ali Yaarubi, an Omani meteorological official told Reuters.

'However, at mainland in Ras Hadd (eastern region), the wind speed is much less at 85 km/h, and we expect it to drop further on Saturday as it moves away from Oman,' he said.

Oman state television said the government had ordered police and the air force to evacuate people from areas of eastern Oman.
'Hundreds of people have been evacuated, most of them from the Masirah Island,' an Oman civil defence department spokesman said, adding that some of the evacuees had been taken to Muscat.

'There are many more who refused to budge.'    

National carrier Oman Air said it had cancelled two flights so that aircraft could evacuate people from Masirah island, home to several villages and an Omani air force base.

Phet was expected to re-emerge over the north Indian Ocean as a tropical storm and march on toward Pakistan, forecaster Tropical Storm Risk said.

Operations at Oman LNG, the liquefied natural gas export facility, were so far unaffected, Nasser Al-Kindy, head of Oman LNG corporate communications, told Reuters. - Reuters