Sunoco News

A pilot's decision to reduce the speed of a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier resulted in reduced rudder effectiveness, ultimately leading to a collision with a moored tug on the Neches River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found.In November 2021, a state licensed pilot from the Sabine Pilots took navigational control of the 754-foot-long Gas Ares as it was heading to load a cargo of propane and butane at the no. 1 loading dock at Sunoco Logistics, located in Nederland, Texas, on the Neches River.

U.S. liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exports have grown year-over-year by 22% to 22.5 million tons year-to-date (YTD) and Middle East exports have grown on the same basis 3.5% to 22.6 million tons, said Dorian LPG.For the first time, U.S. and Middle East volumes were equal, said the owner and operator of modern very large gas carriers (VLGCs)."Our expectation is that the U.S. exports will grow faster than those from the Middle East. U.S. propane inventories continue to push towards the higher-end of their 5-year range, having reached 80 million barrels on July 26th, 21.4% higher than last year, which was almost equal to the percentage increase in exports," it said.North American export capacity continues to expand, further supporting global LPG trade.

Pipeline transportation of natural gas company American Midstream Partners (AMID) has entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of its refined products terminalling business (Refined Products Terminals) to Sunoco, for approximately $125m.The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018, a release said.The divestiture of the Refined Products Terminals, located in Caddo Mills, Texas and North Little Rock, Arkansas, represents continued progress towards American Midstream’s capital allocation strategy designed to reduce leverage and strengthen the partnership.“In addition, the divestiture of the Refined Products Terminals simplifies AMID’s business profile while creating capital flexibility,” the company said in a statement.

NOVA Chemicals Corporation announced that its subsidiary, NOVA Chemicals Olefins, and a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners, Sunoco Partners Marketing & Terminals (SPMT), have entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding regarding a potential joint venture to develop an ethylene export terminal to be located on the United States' Gulf Coast. The parties will seek market commitment for an anticipated start-up of the terminal by mid-2020. The terminal is expected to have the capability to export 800 kta (1.8 billion pounds) per year of ethylene to the global market. "An ethylene export terminal builds upon NOVA Chemicals' leadership position in the continually expanding North American ethylene industry…

While crude deliveries by larger ships to Beaumont in Texas remain restricted after Hurricane Harvey, a workaround using pipelines can supply Exxon Mobil's refinery there, shipping sources said. Silt and clay lingering in the Port of Beaumont still threaten to entrap large ships, two weeks after Hurricane Harvey ravaged Texas, but pipelines are available to move crude up to refineries there from nearby terminals which are less affected by sediment. Beaumont's port has been closed to ship traffic over 26 feet (8 meters) since Sept. 9 by the U.S. Coast Guard, because of shoaling - sediment or sand that washes up on the bottom of the waterway and hampers shipping traffic.

Philadelphia Energy Solutions plans to start operating a new benzene offtake terminal next month at its 335,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Philadelphia, two people familiar with the plans said. While most U.S. refiners are either selling benzene or refining it further, Philadelphia Energy Solutions is using the new terminal to help bring the chemical into the facility, according to an IPO document filed last month. The benzene facility is the latest step in building up infrastructure at a plant that was nearly shuttered in 2012. Benzene boosts the octane level of gasoline and reduces knocking in car engines, but is also a carcinogenic and the federal Environmental Protection Agency requires refiners to strip most of it out of the finished product.

Navigator Holdings Ltd. announced today that it has signed a long term shipping agreement for one of its 35,000 cubic meter ethylene/ethane capable semi-refrigerated liquefied gas carriers, currently being built at Jiangnan Shipyard, China. The ten year time charter has been agreed with Borealis, a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers. The charter, which is planned to commence in late 2016, will transport ethane from the Marcus Hook terminal operated by Sunoco Logistics to Borealis’ cracker in Stenungsund, Sweden.

American Commercial Lines presented Marine Environmental Stewardship Awards on Wednesday, July 16 in Houston, Texas, recognizing 35 customers for safe handling of chemicals, petroleum products and other liquid cargos. The customers recognized by ACL safely handled over two billion gallons of chemicals, petroleum products and other liquid cargoes with the barge transportation company in 2013. Recipients of the award are: Axiall Corporation; BASF Corporation; Bayer Corporation; Bunge North America…

The safety zone around dredging operations in Marcus Hook Range in the Delaware River remains in effect until on or about February 28, 2014. The Dredge ESSEX has transitioned to the downriver portion of Marcus Hook Range, south of the Sunoco Marcus Hook Refinery, to complete dredging operations. The safety zone includes all waters within a 150 yards radius of the Dredge ESSEX and all related dredging equipment. Vessels requesting to transit Marcus Hook Range shall contact the Dredge ESSEX on VHF channel 13 or 16, 30 minutes prior to arrival. Vessels shall then transit around the dredge project, utilizing the downriver portion of the Marcus Hook Anchorage below Sunoco Marcus Hook Refinery, while operating at the minimum safe speed necessary to maintain steerage and reduce wake.

The U.S. Coast Guard is overseeing the cleanup of an estimated 200 gallons of crude oil Friday after a valve on a pipe leaked at the Sunoco Logistics Terminal Facility in Fort Mifflin Thursday. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay watchstanders received notification of the spill at approximately 2 p.m. Thursday after the National Response Center relayed that a pipe broke and an estimated 2,000 gallons of crude oil discharged onto a parking lot at Sunoco Logistics. Additionally, it was reported approximately 200 gallons spilled into a drain, which leads to the Delaware River. After further investigation, it was estimated 50 gallons of oil went into the water.

FMC Commissioner William P. The Panama Canal may remake world trade patterns. To be finished in 2015, the $5-billion expansion of the Panama Canal will create a third lane accommodating mega-ships nearly three times larger than previously passable and this may significantly reduce shipping time to Asia. The expansion impacts state ports, rail lines, trucking and cargo movement from the south and east to the west. The U.S., once an importer of natural gas, could see new shale gas development, LNG projects, and the faster shipping lanes open new Asian markets.

The Coast Guard Marine Industry Training Program offers incredible opportunities for Coast Guard employees to intimately learn specific facets of the marine industry. Participants of the program work directly for industry partners for up to 1 year. In addition to building superior government/industry working relationships, the program affords industry sponsors an opportunity to share detailed business considerations and limitations, so that Coast Guard regulatory activities most effectively promote safety, while limiting undue burden on the maritime industry.

America's largest independently owned ocean-going petroleum barge company, Bouchard Transportation, has promoted Michael S. Brady to Executive Vice-President. Mr. Brady will be responsible for health, safety, security, and environmental (HSSE) and oversee vessel maintenance and repair areas of Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc., reporting directly to Morton S. Bouchard III, President/CEO. “Mike Brady has proven to be an outstanding leader in HSSE, maintenance, repair and customer service,” said Morton S. Bouchard III, President/CEO, Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc. “His expertise and commitment to excellence are vital to our continued growth. Mr. Brady has been with Bouchard Transportation for a total of six years and was most recently the Vice President of the HSSE.

GulfMark Offshore, Inc. (NYSE:GLF) has announced the election of Steven W. Kohlhagen and Charles K. Valutas to its Board of Directors for terms expiring in June 2014. Steven W. Kohlhagen is a retired financial executive who brings to the Board expertise in financial accounting, finance and risk management through his extensive experience in, and knowledge of, the financial, securities and foreign exchange markets. He has held various positions in the private sector, including investment banking, asset management, and most recently as a consultant with AMETEK, Inc. He currently serves on the Board of Directors, the Business and Risk Committee and the Compensation Committee of Freddie Mac. He also serves on the Boards of Directors for Abtech Holdings, Inc., Reval Inc.

PortVision to provide Sunoco Logistics with TerminalSmart dock management system and vessel-tracking services software. PortVision® has signed a three-year agreement with Sunoco Logistics to provide the company with its TerminalSmart™ platform, which integrates dock management, scheduling, reporting and analytics with the PortVision Automatic Identification System (AIS)-based vessel tracking services. TerminalSmart is the industry’s first web-based service platform that integrates vessel tracking, dock management, and analysis in a single, convenient operational dashboard for marine terminal operators. TerminalSmart supports dock scheduling, comprehensive dock activity logging, and business intelligence reporting.

Capt. Jeffrey Monroe, MM, Chairman of the United States Department of Homeland Security Secretary’s National Maritime Security Advisory Committee, and former Chairman of the US Coast Guard’s National Maritime Safety Advisory Council, completed the first seminar for US port executives at the Philadelphia Maritime Exchange in Pennsylvania. This was the first program offered in the US by Canadian interests. Capt. Monroe, a licensed master mariner with a Master’s Degree in Transportation management…

American Maritime Partnership (AMP) Tells Congress That American Fleet Can Meet Additional Demand If Sunoco Refinery Closes Corrects Erroneous EIA Report. In written testimony to the U.S. Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, the American Maritime Partnership (AMP) criticized and corrected an Energy Information Administration (EIA) report that said American tank vessels may be “in short supply” if a Northeast refinery closes later this year. EIA’s assessment came in a February 2012 report titled Potential Impacts of Reductions in Refinery Activity on Northeast Petroleum Markets.

The Unified Command, consisting of the Texas General Land Office, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Eagle Otome's owner, opened the Sabine-Neches Waterway on Jan. 27 to limited traffic after moving the tank vessel Eagle Otome to the Sunoco oil terminal in Beaumont on the evening of Jan. 26. "The Unified Command has been working closely to get the waterway back open as safely as possible," said Coast Guard Capt. J.J. Plunkett, captain of the port and federal on-scene coordinator for the response. Three tugs escorted the Eagle Otome, while two boats carried boom to prevent further spillage and a fire fighting barge was on scene to prevent any fires. Two pilots were on board the ship to further ensure its safe transit to Beaumont.

The chief executive of Bulknet.com will shortly close a $25-$30 million round of financing for his month-old Internet site, which he hopes will dominate online bookings for chemicals shipping. Mark Bitting said the financing, following an initial round that raised less than $1 million, should give the company a big head start on Internet competitors hoping to capture some of the multi-billion dollar chemical shipping market. "We're the only ones in this industry that have attacked e-commerce," he said, but added that he expects steep competition down the road given the number of other "dot-com" companies out there putting money into systems. The company has signed up 41 of the largest U.S.

Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited (TEN) announced a new long-term time-charter contract for the Suezmax Triathlon with Sun International Limited/Sunoco Inc. The seven-year contract, with a three-year option, begins in mid January, 2004 upon the expiration of Triathlon's next fixed voyage. The rate obtained for the new time charter has an accretive minimum and provides for profit sharing between TEN and Sun International when market rates exceed the minimum. "We are very excited to announce our latest time charter agreement," stated Nikolas P. Tsakos, President and CEO of TEN. "Once again, TEN has secured an attractive, long-term charter that will help to provide a steady and predictable flow of earnings and strengthen its balance sheet.

Stena Vision, a unique VLCC built by Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI) in that it features twin-engines and twin-propellers, was recently christened at the Ulsan Shipyard. Concordia Maritime AB's new ultra-large 315,000-dwt VLCC was christened by Mrs. Karen Fidler, wife of the president of Sunoco Inc., the company that chartered the VLCC. Built for Concordia Maritime, a public tanker company of the Swedish-based Stena organization, the VLCC is a revolutionary type of crude oil carrier. The 1,102 ft. (336 m) long Stena V-Max design VLCC differs from other large tankers built in the world to date. In addition to double hulls, the VLCC has double, completely separate engine rooms, double rudders and double propellers.

Concordia Maritime has signed two-year timecharter contracts for the V-MAX vessels Stena Vision and Stena Victory with Litasco, a subsidiary of the Russian oil company Lukoil. The new time charters will begin immediately upon expiration of the current charter contracts with the American oil company Sunoco at the end of 2007. The vessels are chartered in from Arlington Tankers Ltd until the end of 2009. With the new time charter contracts Concordia Maritime has secured employment for the entire period.

The U.S. Coast Guard and the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, in cooperation with TSAKOS Shipping, Sunoco, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and The O'Brien's Group are scheduled to conduct a joint pollution response exercise June 27 - 29. The objective of the joint pollution response operations is to exercise the Area Contingency Plan and other industry plans that would be utilized during an incident at the Big Stone Anchorage in the Delaware Bay. TSAKOS Shipping, a leading worldwide marine transportation company, and Sunoco have volunteered to sponsor the exercise. TSAKOS Shipping is currently involved in transporting oil to Sunoco facilities on the Delaware River.