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Marathon Petroleum News

08 Feb 2024

Volunteer Fire Department in Indiana Gets Its First Boat

The Bellmore Fire Department uses the boat for the first time in early January while responding to a nighttime report of a dog in the water. (Photo: Marathon Petroleum Corporation)

A volunteer fire department in western Indiana has increased its capabilities to respond to incidents on lakes and waterways after getting an unexpected grant.The Bellmore Volunteer Fire Department purchased its first boat through funding from Marathon Pipe Line (MPL), a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum’s midstream segment, MPLX.The department’s chief said he had considered budget cuts to make the purchase possible before MPL surprised him with a check for all the necessary funding.Bellmore


06 Nov 2023

Neste, PTL Marine Supplying Renewable Diesel to Vessels in California

(Photo: Neste)

Neste is partnering with PTL Marine to provide Neste MY Renewable Diesel to the marine sector across the State of California.California’s Commercial Harbor Craft (CHC) regulation, established by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), took effect on January 1, 2023. This regulation requires commercial harbor craft vessels in the state to use renewable diesel (also known locally as R99 or R100) instead of ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD), to limit emissions such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxides for vessels operating in the state’s ports and near the coast.

01 May 2023

Venezuelan Oil Gets More US Buyers as Chevron Steps Up Loadings

© Haris Andronos / Adobe Stock

Chevron Corp has stepped up sales of Venezuelan crude oil to rival U.S. refiners, adding PBF Energy Inc and Marathon Petroleum Corp to its list of customers for the crude, vessel tracking and loading schedules showed.U.S. Gulf Coast refiners, which historically processed Venezuelan oil, have shown a renewed appetite for the heavy sour crude grade after Chevron late last year received authorization from the U.S. Treasury Department to expand its operations in Venezuela and resume oil shipments to the U.S. after a four-year pause.Chevron, the last big U.S.

20 Sep 2021

Expect the Unexpected on the Inland Waterways

Among transportation planners, “resilience”, describing the ability to bounce back from adversities, both economic and other, has become a top consideration as we increasingly must “expect the unexpected.” The U.S. waterway system, covering the network of inland rivers and coastwise waterways, has seen a mix of good and not so good. As the 2020-2021 pandemic moves toward winding down, a recovery from the dismal 2020 is underway, but activity on the rivers is uneven. Ken Eriksen


06 Sep 2021

U.S. Offshore Oil Output Still Mostly Down a Week after Hurricane Ida

A U.S. Gulf of Mexico platform - Credit: Lukas Z

Damage to oil production facilities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico kept output largely halted on Sunday, a week after Hurricane Ida made landfall, according to offshore regulator the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).Energy companies have been coping with damaged platforms and onshore power outages and logistical issues, slowing efforts to restart production. Some 88% of crude oil output and 83% of natural gas production remained suspended.About 1.6 million barrels of crude oil remained offline, with only about 100,000 barrels added since Saturday.

01 Sep 2021

First Look at Louisiana Offshore Oil Port Finds No Major Damage after Hurricane

LOOP - Credit: Edibobb / Wikimedia Commons - CC BY 3.0

The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), the largest deepwater oil import and export terminal on the U.S. Gulf Coast, has found no major damages to its marine operations during an initial review [of the impact of the hurricane Ida], but operations remain offline as assessments continue, according to a person familiar with the matter.Louisiana Offshore Oil Port Llc - a joint venture of Marathon Petroleum Corp, Phillips 66 and Valero Energy Corp - has a crude oil loading and unloading facility 18 miles (29 km) off the coast of Louisiana.

13 May 2021

Jones Act Waiver Granted to Valero After Colonial Shutdown

© Nightman1965 / Adobe Stock

U.S. refiner Valero Energy Corp was granted a Jones Act waiver, sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, after a cyberattack shut the Colonial Pipeline late last week, creating a fuel crunch in several parts of the U.S. Southeast and Northeast.Jones Act waivers are a key way to ensure fuel supplies reach some of the hardest hit areas as pump prices continue to surge while Colonial begins to ramp up flows on its pipeline network that transports more than 2.5 million barrels of fuel every day.The Jones Act requires goods moved between U.S.

12 May 2021

U.S. Refiners Book Tankers to Store Oil Products as Cyber Attack Cripples Colonial Pipeline

Illustration by Oleksii/AdobeStock

U.S. refiners booked at least four tankers to store refined oil products off the Gulf Coast following a cyber attacks that crippled the biggest U.S. pipeline, shipping data showed on Tuesday.The attack on the Colonial pipeline network, which supplies half of the fuel consumed along the East Coast, has forced Gulf Coast refineries to scale back operations due to lack of storage space.The tankers, booked by Marathon Petroleum, Valero Energy, Phillips 66 and PBF Energy, can hold around 350,000 tonnes of fuel.

18 Nov 2020

US Inland Waterways: High Waters & Swirling Currents

(Photo: Ingram Barge)

The inland waterway system, flowing through the United States heartland, is a microcosm of all that has been happening in 2020: trade tensions, infrastructure issues, shifting trends in fuel consumption and the pandemic that has gripped us since the winter months. Shortly after the initial coronavirus outbreak here in the U.S., maritime workers were deemed to be “essential”, paving the way for cargo flows to recover from their springtime nadir. As COVID-19 infections turned up on U.S. shores, the boats continued plying the waterways, albeit with reduced volumes in some cases.

23 Apr 2020

Saudi Arabia May Re-route Tankers if US Bans Crude Imports

© Martin Lueke / Adobe Stock

Saudi Arabia is exploring re-routing millions of barrels of oil onboard tankers sailing to the United States if President Donald Trump decides to block imports of crude from the kingdom, shipping and trade sources say.Some 40 million barrels of Saudi oil are on their way to the United States and due to arrive in the coming weeks, piling more pressure on markets already struggling to absorb a glut of stocks, according to shipping data and sources.U.S. officials have said in recent days that Washington is considering blocking Saudi shipments of crude oil


11 Feb 2020

Upstream Sector Leads O&A M&A in 2019

A latest research revealed that the upstream sector accounted for the bulk of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the global oil and gas industry in 2019, generating some high-value transactions during the process.According to GlobalData's theme report, ‘M&A in Oil and Gas – 2020’, the acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum by Occidental Petroleum in April 2019 for a purchase consideration of US$57bn was the highlight of oil and gas M&A activity last year, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.Ravindra Puranik, Oil & Gas Analyst at GlobalData, said: “In 2019, the upstream sector, more specifically the US shale plays, witnessed the highest deal activity in the oil and gas industry.

10 Jun 2019

Fuel Futures: Diesel Will Spike on IMO2020

© bluedesign/Adobe Stock

New marine fuel rules to boost diesel prices for at least a year -analystsGlobal prices for diesel and marine fuels should rise by October ahead of a January switchover to new, very low-sulfur marine fuels, and remain higher for at least a year as refiners shift production to make more of the new fuels, analysts said.Marine fuels containing no more than 0.5% sulfur by weight, down from the 3.5% currently used, to power ocean-going vessels will be required for ships without exhaust scrubbers on Jan.

10 May 2019

U.S. Refiners' 2020 Plans Now Uncertain

File Image: An aerial view of the Houston, Texas refining complex. (CREDIT: AdobeStock / © Irina K)

U.S. refiners had a plan for 2020: use their complex operations to maximize profits by making products that would comply with new international laws capping sulfur content in shipping fuels.But after a series of unexpected market moves, heavy, sour crude oil processed by U.S. refiners has become more expensive, eating up hoped-for profit windfalls before they even materialized, forcing refiners to rethink plans to invest more in heavy crude processing units.New regulations by


28 Dec 2017

Colonial Pipeline Demand at 2-Month Nadir

Demand to ship gasoline on Colonial Pipeline has sunk to a two-month low as Gulf Coast supplies are increasingly being exported or sent to the Midwest rather than to the New York harbor, three sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Colonial Pipeline Co, the largest U.S. fuel network, has consistently allocated space for at least the past two months, meaning demand has exceeded capacity on the pipeline. But it would not ration space on its main gasoline line for the next five-day shipping cycle, known as "Cycle 2," the sources said, which suggests lower demand. Colonial spokeswoman Malesia Dunn said the company does not speculate on rumors. The sources could not speak for attribution because the information is not public.

23 Oct 2017

U.S. Midwest Refiners Boost Output

U.S. refineries from Ohio to Minnesota are capitalizing on access to cheap crude from Western Canada and North Dakota oilfields, helping their region break a historic dependence on fuel from the Gulf Coast while redrawing oil trade maps. Since the early 2000s, crude and fuel flows from the Gulf Coast into the U.S. heartland have been cut in half, as crude coming from Canada and North Dakota has pushed U.S. Midwest refining activity to record levels. In 2016, Midwest refining capacity rose to 3.9 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude, the highest annual volume on record. Midwest refiners such as Marathon Petroleum Corp, Phillips 66, BP PLC and Husky Energy have invested billions of dollars on new units capable of turning sludgy crude from Canada into gasoline and diesel.

05 Oct 2017

U.S. GoM Energy Producers Evacuating Ahead of T/S Nate

Oil and natural gas producers began evacuating staff at U.S. Gulf of Mexico platforms on Thursday ahead of Tropical Storm Nate, the second storm in as many months to threaten Gulf Coast oil and refining facilities. Nate, which has already killed three people in Costa Rica, according to local authorities, is forecast to scrape past Honduras and Mexico, enter the Gulf and strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall early on Sunday in Louisiana, near several major refineries. That path takes it through an area populated by offshore oil and natural gas platforms, which pumps more than 1.6 million barrels of crude per day, about 17 percent of U.S. output, according to government data. Forecasts for Nate have shifted in the past 24 hours.

14 Aug 2017

Venezuela Ships More Oil to US in July vs June

Venezuela's PDVSA and its joint ventures last month shipped 638,325 barrels per day (bpd) of crude to the United States, a 30 percent increase over June due to larger sales of upgraded oil, according to Thomson Reuters trade flows data. Venezuelan crude output has declined this year to its lowest point in 27 years due to a lack of investment and payment delays to oil service firms, affecting exports to customers in key markets including the United States. Even though the volume of crude sent to the United States in July was larger than the previous month, it was 22 percent below the same month in 2016. The main U.S. receiver of Venezuelan crude last month was refiner Valero Energy, followed by PDVSA's refining unit in the United States, Citgo Petroleum.

31 Jul 2017

Oil Markets Brace for Possible US Sanctions on Venezuela

© Federico Rostagno / Adobe Stock

U.S. oil markets were readying for fallout from potential U.S. sanctions on Venezuela's vital oil sector on Monday after Sunday's election in the struggling country was deemed a "sham" by Washington. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday celebrated the election of a new legislative superbody that will have the power to dissolve state institutions such as the opposition-run Congress. Countries around the world denounced the vote. U.S. crude futures jumped above $50 a barrel for the first time in two months early in the session before retreating, after U.S.

27 Jul 2017

Gasoline Futures Rally Propels Crude Markets

U.S. shale drilling slowdown may be temporary. Oil prices rose to an eight-week high on Thursday, as a rally in U.S. gasoline futures spurred further gains this week that came after key OPEC members pledged to reduce exports and the U.S. government reported a sharp decline in crude inventories. U.S. gasoline futures were the biggest percentage gainer in the petroleum complex, up 1.6 percent to their highest since May 30. "Today's buying rotation back to the front of the (gasoline) curve is a healthy sign that augers in favor of additional price gains," Jim Ritterbusch, president of Chicago-based energy advisory firm Ritterbusch & Associates, said in a note. Benchmark Brent futures were up 50 cents, or 1 percent, at $51.47 a barrel by 12:54 p.m. EDT (1654 GMT). U.S.

02 Jun 2017

PA Pipeline Spat Could Upend International Oil Flows

Refiners from the Midwest United States are fighting for access to a vital Pennsylvania pipeline – a move that could cripple their East Coast competitors and redraw the map for international flows of crude and fuel into coveted coastal markets. The regulatory dispute centers on a proposal by pipeline operator Buckeye Partners’ to that state's Public Utilities Commission. The plan would reverse the flow of fuels on a section of Buckeye’s 350-mile Laurel Pipeline, which currently flows from the East Coast to Pittsburgh. Because pipelines only flow in one direction, the change would effectively block five East Coast refineries from serving Pittsburgh – with Midwest refiners picking up their market share.

22 Dec 2016

U.S. Refiners Cash in on Mexico's Record Imports

U.S. Gulf Coast refiners are cashing in on rising fuel demand from Mexico, shipping record volumes to a southern neighbor that has failed to expand its refining network to supply a fast-growing economy. The fuel trade could top a million barrels per day (bpd) at times in 2017 as Mexico becomes increasingly dependent on the United States for strategic energy supplies and providing business worth more than $15 billion a year to refiners such as Valero, Marathon Petroleum and Citgo Petroleum. The rise in Mexico's fuel imports reflects an economy that, after expanding for 27 quarters in a row even amid a public austerity plan, has been unable to increase its refining output to satisfy the consistent growth of its energy demand.

12 Sep 2016

Marathon Galveston Bay Contractor Feared Drowned

A contractor was feared drowned after falling into the Port of Texas City, Texas, when scaffolding supporting him collapsed at the Marathon Petroleum Corp Galveston Bay refinery dock, a Texas City official said. "Divers are en route to do a body recovery," Derek Duckett, director of emergency management for Texas City, said on Monday. Part of the scaffolding fell at about 11:30 a.m. CDT (1630 GMT) Monday and the worker has not been seen since, Duckett said. "I heard part of the scaffolding fell and he was tied to it," Duckett said. An investigation will be needed to determine what happened, he said. The Texas City Fire Department and the U.S. Coast Guard searched for the man before the divers were called out, Duckett said.

17 Aug 2016

Crowley Christens MT West Virginia

Crowley Maritime Corp. today christened the MT West Virginia, its fourth new, Jones Act product tanker for the U.S. coastwise trade, in Philadelphia at Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI), the sole operating subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA. The West Virginia is LNG ready, meaning it can later be converted for propulsion by liquefied natural gas (LNG). West Virginia joins its sister ships, Louisiana, Ohio and Texas, which were received by Crowley in 2015 and 2016 as the first-ever tankers to receive the American Bureau of Shipping’s (ABS) LNG-Ready Level 1 approval. Anne Swearingen, wife of John Swearingen, senior vice president, Marathon Petroleum Corporation