Read the Latest News Affecting the Tank and Terminal Industry

Enterprise, Enbridge to Jointly Build VLCC Crude Export Terminal off Houston
A&P Global, Dec. 9, 2019
Enbridge, Inc. announced December 9 its intention to build a 15 million-barrel storage terminal at its jointly owned Seaway Pipeline at the Jones Creek terminus. In addition, Enbridge and Seaway co-owner Enterprise Products Partners have agreed to jointly develop the proposed Sea Port Oil Terminal to service VLCCs off the Houston coast.

EPIC Midstream Loads First Oil Tanker at New Texas Export Terminal
Hart Energy, Dec. 11, 2019
Epic Midstream loaded the first tanker at its new Corpus Christi export terminal on December 11 with plans to double the facility's load rate to about 40,000 barrels per hour by Q3 2020 in response to the growing demand from Europe and Asia for light sweet crude. The expanded capacity and load rate would accommodate the Suezmax tankers which can hold up to 1 million barrels.

Posthaste: Why Enbridge Is Planning to Build a Deepwater Crude Oil Export Terminal in Texas
Regina Leader-Post, Dec. 9, 2019
With new environmental assessment legislation in Canada dampening investment in domestic infrastructure projects, Canadian energy powerhouse Enbridge annnounced December 9 that it will team with Enterprise Products Partners LP to develop a deepwater offshore crude terminal off the Texas Gulf coast. Additionally, Enbridge will move forward with its Jones Creek Crude Oil Storage Terminal featuring 15 million barrels of storage space. 

Houston Takes Center Stage as Major Crude Oil Trading Hub
Oilman Magazine, Dec. 19, 2019
With the boom in crude oil production in West Texas and the lifting of the ban on crude exports in 2015, Houston has become the nation's primary crude trading hub, surpassing the West Texas Intermediate pricing power of Cushing, Oklahoma, and becoming the preferred futures contract hub for Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Louisiana Years Ahead in Race for Deepwater Oil Ports
Business Report, Dec. 17, 2019
Though several deepwater oil ports are currently being developed along the Texas coast, the only operating deepwater exporter in the U.S. sits about 30 miles south of Fourchon, Louisiana. The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) loaded a record six Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) in June 2019, and remains a leading contender for the deepwater export sector.

US Suspends Review of Phillips 66 Oil Export Terminal Application
gCaptain, Dec. 2, 2019
Citing a need for additional information, U.S. maritime officials have suspended their review of Phillips 66's application for its proposed Bluewater Texas Terminals, a 1.92 million barrel-per-day project off the coast of Corpus Christi, Texas.

Equinor Scraps Oil Terminal Plans for Johan Castberg Project
NS Energy, Dec. 13, 2019
After dropping its plans for a full-scale terminal for oil from the Johan Castberg fields in March 2018, Norwegian oil and gas giant Equinor and its partners have also decided to scrap plans for a scaled-down, ship-to-ship terminal in Finnmark County Norway.

Exxon, Hess to Commence Crude Oil Export From Offshore Guyana
Stock Rants, Dec. 12, 2019
With discoveries of oil-rich deposits off the coast of Guyana capable of producing more than 750,000 barrels per day, a consortium of energy companies including Exxon and Hess are developing plans to export crude from the Latin America coast by early 2020.

Trader Mercuria to Compete for South Texas Oil-trading Hub
The London Free Press, Dec. 19, 2019
Looking to compete as a trading hub for shale oil in Corpus Christi, Texas, Swiss commodities trader Mercuria Energy Group and its partner Dauphine Midstream LLC are currently building their Pin Oak hub, a 2 million barrel storage facility outside Corpus Christi, Texas. The group expects to begin exporting up to 320,000 bpd by early 2020 with plans to double that amount in 2021.

Malaysia Due Grassroots Refinery, Storage Terminal
Oil & Gas Journal, Dec 13, 2019
To explore the possibility for an oil storage facility and refinery in northern Borneo, state-owned Sabah Oil & Gas Development Corp and Petroventure Energy have signed a Heads of Agreement (HOA). The proposed facility is projected to supply about 70,300 barrels of nameplate crude for the production of gasoline and diesel.

EPA Moves to Ease Availability of IMO 2020 Compliant Fuel
MarineLog, Dec. 13, 2019
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved revised text to key regulatory language regarding IMO 2020 and the distribution of compliant marine fuel for ships operating outside Emission Control Areas.

Ironwood Midstream II Closes South Texas Asset Acquisition
Hart Energy, Dec. 10, 2019
Ironwood Midstream Energy Partners announced it has closed on assets acquired from Twin Eagle Gardendale Pipeline LLC, including 150 miles of active crude oil gathering pipelines with connections to Plains All American, Harvest and NuStar Logistics pipelines.

North American Pipeline Project Roundup: November/December 2019
North American Oil & Gas Pipelines, Dec. 10, 2019
The North American Pipeline Roundup features oil and natural gas contracts from around the country including inspections, new installation and replacement projects.

Shell Gears to Start Fuel Import by Ship Into Mexico in Mid-2020
MFame, Nov. 28, 2019
In a joint venture with Mexico's sate-owned Pemex, Shell is scheduled to begin exports of fuel by ship from its Deer Park, Texas refinery in mid 2020 to private terminals currently under construction in Tuxpan and Tula. Shell sent its first cargo load in October to a private terminal in Guanajuato via rail service from its Deer Park, Texas terminal.

US Crude Imports Fall to Lowest Point Since 1994: EIA
S&P Global, Dec. 31, 2019
In its December 31 report for 2019, EIA said that crude oil imports had fallen to 1.22 million b/d in October, the lowest monthly average since February 1985. In addition, crude imports from Persian Gulf countries dropping to 671,000 b/d in October, a decline of 53% from 2018.

Coastal Zone Permit Granted for Jet Fuel at Port Mahon
Sussex, Dec. 31, 2019
Delaware Storage and Pipeline Company has been issued a CZA-437P, Coast Zone Act Permit, to construct a new storage building at its facility east of Dover. The permit also allows for process changes for jet fuel supplied to Dover Air Force Base.

Port, Ship Channel Make Houston Like ‘Nowhere Else’ for Industry
BIC Magazine, Dec. 31, 2019
The roles of the Port Houston Authority and the Greater Houston Bureau vary greatly, but leaders for both bodies are solidly in favor of expanding the Houston Ship Channel to ensure the port continues to provide economic benefits to the state, the region and the country.

Takeaway, Part 2 - Plains All American's Cactus II Ramps Up Corpus Deliveries
RBN Energy, Dec. 29, 2019
Though not entering the port directly, in Corpus Christi, Plains All American's Cactus II Pipeline links up with Moda Midstream's expanding Ingleside export terminal, with interconnects at McMullen and George West to a number of other delivery options.

Magellan Seek to Boost Capacity of Refined Products Pipeline to El Paso
Houston Chronicle, Dec. 23, 2019
Magellan Midstream Partners is looking to boost capacity along the western leg of its South System. An open second season would increase capacity to about 200,000 b/d or roughly 8.4 million gallons of gasoline per day.

The Million Dollar Way (The Bakken Oil Blog)
Argus Media, Dec. 29, 2019
Epic Midstream has repurposed a former grain facility to export crude while it awaits the completion of a larger export terminal slated for Q3 2020.

RdK-Klesch Group Deal Ends PDVSA Control of Curacao Refinery
S&P Global, Dec. 26, 2019
The Klesh Group and Regineria de Korsou have signed a sale of agreement for the Curacao oil facilities, including the refinery, utilities and the Bullenbay Oil Terminal. Bullenbay is the third-largest terminal in the Caribbean with storage capacity of about 17.8 million barrels for crude and refined products.

Spending Agreement Gives $7.65 Billion To Corps
The Waterways Journal Weekly, Dec. 20, 2019
New spending bills approved by the House include a $7.65 billion appropriation to the Army Corps of Engineers, $1.63 billion of which is slated for Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund projects.