Shell reports flooding in Deer Park, Texas complex chemical plant

HOUSTON, Oct (HKSE: 3366-OL.HK - news) 31 (Reuters) - Shell Oil Co, the U.S (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) . arm of Royal Dutch Shell Plc (Xetra: R6C1.DE - news) , reported flooding Saturday afternoon in the chemical plant of its Deer Park, Texas, refining and petrochemical complex as storms dumped over 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain on the area.

A source familiar with operations at the 316,600-barrel-per-day (bpd) joint-venture Deer Park Refinery knew of no problems at the refinery due to the flooding.

In a message on a system to inform nearby residents of malfunctions within the complex, Shell (LSE: RDSB.L - news) said the flooding created "an unauthorized discharge due to an oil-sheen carryover at one of the facility's stormwater outfalls."

A Shell spokesman did not reply to messages on Saturday asking about the flooding.

The message also said Shell was taking steps to mitigate the oil sheen.

Exxon Mobil Corp said the nation's second largest refinery, its 560,000-bpd Baytown, Texas, plant along with the company's 344,600-bpd Beaumont, Texas, refinery and 502,500-bpd Baton Rouge, Louisiana, refinery were operating normally after a line of thunder storms raked the Gulf Coast on Saturday.

Refineries along Houston's Ship Channel and Texas City, Texas, appeared to be operating normally after storms passed over by mid-afternoon.

Ship pilots called a halt to moving vessels along the Houston Ship Channel for 10 hours from early in the morning until the afternoon on Saturday when heavy rains and high winds made navigation of the 53-mile (85-kilometer) waterway unsafe, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Ships began moving along the Ship Channel shortly after 2 p.m. local time (1900 GMT). (Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Paul Simao)