Chevron, Hess mandate Covid vaccines for Gulf of Mexico crews

HOUSTON (Bloomberg) - Chevron Corp. and Hess Corp. are requiring employees who work on platforms in the Gulf of Mexico to get a Covid-19 vaccine amid surging caseloads across the southern U.S. 

Schlumberger, the world’s biggest oil-services provider, said customers are requiring its staff be vaccinated and tested prior to arriving on job sites. Meanwhile, Hess said it’s requiring U.S. offshore workers to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1.

The Chevron mandate applies to some onshore support personnel as well as those working offshore, the oil explorer said in an email Monday. The driller already was requiring the vaccine in some other areas of its business such as shipping. Dow Jones reported earlier Monday on the additional requirements.

“Chevron is committed to protecting the health of our people, and vaccinations are the strongest safeguard against this virus,” the San Ramon, California-based company said in the email. “So, as part of our fitness for duty safety standard, workers in certain jobs are required to be vaccinated against Covid-19.”

The new requirements are spreading across the industry just as oilfield activity recovers after a historic crude-market crash triggered by lockdowns in the world’s biggest economies as well as an oil-price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.