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Enterprise Products Partners News

22 Apr 2024

As Shale Oil Gains Slow, Deepwater Port Struggles for Customers

© vladsv / Adobe Stock

As U.S. shale oil boomed last decade, an oil pipeline company pitched an ambitious multi-billion-dollar export port off the Texas coast to ship domestic crude to buyers in Europe and Asia.In April, Enterprise Products Partners' SPOT became the first project to receive a license from the U.S. maritime regulator for a deepwater port that could load two supertankers, each of which can carry up to 2 million barrels of oil at a time.But multi-year regulatory delays, a loss of commercial backers and slowing U.S.

10 Apr 2024

Enterprise Products Gets Port License for Gulf of Mexico Oil Terminal

Proposed SPOT export terminal - Credit: Enterprise Products Partners

Enterprise Products Partners said on Tuesday it had received a deepwater port license for its Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) in the Gulf of Mexico from an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation.The project, located near Freeport, Texas, would become the biggest offshore oil export terminal in the U.S. after completion with a capacity to load two supertankers at a time and export 2 million barrels of crude oil per day."The receipt of the license is the most significant milestone to date in the development and commercialization of SPOT…

14 Dec 2023

DiCosimo to Chair Greater Houston Port Bureau

Vincent DiCosimo (Photo: Greater Houston Port Bureau)

The Greater Houston Port Bureau Board of Directors announced Vincent DiCosimo, vice president of government affairs at Targa Resources, will assume the position of the chairman of the board on January 1, 2024. DiCosimo has served as first vice chairman on the Port Bureau’s board for the last three years.Bernt Netland, the outgoing chairman of the Port Bureau Board said, “Vincent has been a part of the Port Bureau’s board for many years and has been active in his role as vice chair. He is an experienced and respected leader in the port region.

09 Jun 2023

Enterprise Products Partners' Offshore Oil Export Terminal to Open by Early 2027

Proposed SPOT export terminal - Credit: Enterprise Products Partners

Enterprise Products Partners' Sea Port crude oil export terminal off the coast of Texas could begin operations between the second half of 2026 and early 2027, the pipeline operator's co-CEO said on Thursday. The terminal, planned for about 30 miles (48 km) off the coast of Texas, is one of several deepwater projects proposed at the height of the U.S. shale oil production boom. Enterprise Co-CEO Jim Teague disclosed the proposed Sea Port Oil Terminal's start date at an RBN Energy export conference in Houston.

10 Jun 2020

Enterprise Working to Address Delays with SPOT Offshore Terminal

Enterprise Products Partners LP is working with U.S. officials to advance an offshore crude terminal project after the review schedule was suspended last week, the company said.Enterprise and Enbridge Inc agreed late last year to jointly develop a U.S. Gulf Coast crude export terminal known as Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) that would load supertankers off Freeport, Texas.The application review schedule was suspended after SPOT Terminal Services LLC said it needed additional time to fully respond to information requests, according to a June 4 letter by the United States Coast Guard and Maritime Administration (MARAD).The USCG and MARAD have requested more information such as the project description and a list of landowners that would be affected…

14 Apr 2020

Enterprise Offers Crude Shipments From Gulf Coast to Cushing

© Jim / Adobe Stock

Enterprise Products Partners LP said it would offer spot shipments of crude on an existing pipeline from the U.S. Gulf coast to Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery point for benchmark U.S. crude futures, as demand to store oil inland surges.The move marks a sharp reversal from recent pipeline projects that were all built connecting inland markets to the Gulf Coast as U.S. crude exports climbed to record highs after Washington lifted a ban in late 2015.However, the coronavirus pandemic has crushed global oil demand and dented U.S.

09 Dec 2019

Enbridge, Enterprise to Develop GoM Crude Export Terminal

Enbridge Inc and Enterprise Products Partners LP on Monday signed an agreement to jointly develop a deepwater offshore crude oil export terminal in the Gulf of Mexico capable of loading Very Large Crude Carriers.Both pipeline operators will work to finalize an equity participation agreement that would provide Enbridge an option to purchase ownership interest in Enterprise's Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT), subject to SPOT receiving a deep-water port license, Enbridge said in a statement.The companies would first jointly develop the SPOT project, and depending on how the export market grows, would utilize Enbridge's Texas COLT deep-water port or a similar project."Enbridge and Enterprise Products are partners in the Seaway Pipeline system.

14 Aug 2019

ICE, Magellan to Offer Dock Capacity to Houston Oil Futures Customers

Intercontinental Exchange Inc and Magellan Midstream Partners LP said on Wednesday they would auction dock capacity at Magellan's terminals in Galena Park and Seabrook, Texas, for holders of ICE's Permian West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures contracts.The monthly auction process will allow customers who purchase an ICE Permian WTI crude futures contract, deliverable at Magellan's East Houston terminal (MEH), the option to load crude directly onto a vessel at Galena Park and Seabrook dock facilities for export, the companies said.The capacity offered will be adequate to fill Panamax and Aframax size vessels, with Suezmax size vessels set to be added in the future.Earlier this year…

31 Jul 2019

Enterprise Products to Build GoM Crude Terminal

File Image: AdobeStock / © Jose Gill

Enterprise Products Partners LP said on Wednesday it expects to take about two years to construct its oil export project called Sea Port Oil Terminal, or SPOT, in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.Permitting for the terminal was expected to reach the final stages by the end of the first quarter of 2020 and final approval was expected during the second quarter, a company executive said on its second quarter earnings call.Enterprise Products signed long-term agreements with Chevron Corp to support the development of SPOT…

28 Mar 2019

Tanker Bottleneck Eases for Port of Houston

The sprawling Houston area refining complex adjacent to the Houston Ship Channel. CREDIT: AdobeStock / © Irina K)

Four tankers on Thursday were preparing to offload or pick up cargoes in the busiest U.S. oil port, the first signs of an easing of the bottleneck that cut 1 million barrels per day of shipments, according to vessel tracking data.The Houston Ship Channel reopened this week with operating restrictions following a fire at Mitsui & Co Inc's Intercontinental Terminals Co (ITC) in Deer Park, Texas. That blaze sent fuel and chemicals into the waterway, which connects Houston to the…

24 Jan 2019

Offshore Terminal Plan Slowed by U.S. Shutdown

© freshidea/AdobeStock

The U.S. government shutdown has delayed Enterprise Products Partners LP's plan to build a major U.S. crude export terminal off Houston, blocking the pipeline operator from filing paperwork with U.S. regulators, an executive said on Wednesday.Enterprise plans to file a 10,000-page permit application with the U.S. Maritime Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard as soon as the U.S. government reopens. It takes about a year for regulators to process an application for a deep-water terminal."Tell me when the government opens and I'll tell you when it happens…

22 Jun 2018

Enterprise Adds Vessel Fueling Capabilities at Houston

Enterprise Products Partners, as of June 1, 2018, is the exclusive provider of residual marine fuel (RMG 380) and marine gas oil (MGO) at its Enterprise Hydrocarbons Terminal (EHT) on the Houston Ship Channel. RMG 380 and MGO are the primary transportation fuels used by deep-draft vessels that dock at the EHT facility. “Being able to fuel ships as they load and offload product at our EHT marine terminal significantly streamlines the process, saving our customers time and money by not having to stop at a third party facility,” said A.J. “Jim” Teague, chief executive officer of Enterprise’s general partner. RMG 380 and MGO are delivered to the terminal by barge and stored in dedicated tanks with approximately 300,000 barrels of capacity.

20 Jun 2018

Enterprise Expects to Load First Supertanker at Texas Port This Month

Seaway Crude Pipeline Company LLC, a joint venture between Enterprise Products Partners LP and Enbridge Inc, plans to load its first supertanker this month at its Texas City marine terminal:* VLCC FPMC C Melody will be loaded with about 1.1 million bbls (2-million-bbl capacity); remaining crude to be transferred in a lightering zone* The VLCC was anchored near Houston as of Wednesday - Thomson Reuters vessel tracking data/shipping source* Enterprise said Midland-Sealy pipeline reached full service capabilities in April and is currently moving volumes at full capacity* Enterprise is evaluating an NGL pipeline conversion to crude to add capacity* Enterprise crude exports were about 724,000 bpd in May-presentation Reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler

08 Feb 2018

Texas Flood: U.S. Oil Pours into Global Markets

United States taking share from OPEC nations in Asia, Europe, as China’s biggest U.S. crude buyer to double imports. In the two years since Washington lifted a 40-year ban on oil exports, tankers filled with U.S. crude have landed in more than 30 countries, ranging from massive economies like China and India to tiny Togo. The repeal has unleashed a flood of U.S. shale oil, undercutting global crude prices, eroding the clout of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and seizing market share from many of its member countries. In 2005, before the shale revolution, the United States had net imports of 12.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude and fuels - compared to just 4 million bpd today. U.S.

30 Oct 2017

U.S. Oil Exports Boom, Pushing Infrastructure to Limits

Tankers carrying record levels of crude are leaving in droves from Texas and Louisiana ports, and more growth in the fledgling U.S. oil export market may before long test the limits of infrastructure like pipelines, dock space and ship traffic. U.S. crude exports have boomed since the decades-old ban was lifted less than two years ago, with shipments recently hitting a record of 2 million barrels a day. But shippers and traders fear the rising trend is not sustainable, and if limits are hit, it could pressure the price of U.S. oil. How much crude the United States can export is a mystery. Most terminal operators and companies will not disclose capacity, and federal agencies like the U.S. Energy Department do not track it.

30 Aug 2017

Harvey Impacts Domestic Fuel Network

U.S. drivers are starting to feel the effects of Tropical Storm Harvey in their wallets as the country's fuel distribution network starting at the Gulf Coast and stretching across the country is squeezed by floods, refinery closures and dwindling supplies. At least 3.6 million barrels per day (bpd) of refining capacity is offline and more refineries are at risk of shut downs as the storm relentlessly dumps rain on Texas and heads toward Louisiana. The longer refineries remain shut, the more retail prices will increase, traders and analysts said. Two of the major pipelines delivering gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from the Gulf Coast are operating at reduced rates or plan to shut entirely, with wholesale markets in Chicago and the Gulf region seeing sharply higher prices.

28 Jul 2016

Enterprise to Export First Ethane Cargo from Houston Terminal in August

Enterprise Products Partners on Thursday said the first ship to load ethane for export from its new terminal on the Houston Ship Channel will arrive on Aug. 1, the first such export of the light natural gas liquid from the U.S. Gulf Coast. Exports from the terminal are expected to ramp up to 1.9 million barrels per month by the end of the year, executives said on Thursday during the company's second quarter earnings call. Enterprise said it was currently in the process of commissioning the ethane export facility, as well as its Waha natural gas processing plant in the Delaware Basin. The company also said three liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cargo loadings from its Houston Ship Channel export terminal were cancelled in July, and five have been cancelled in August.

28 Jun 2016

Gas Plant Fire Halts US Gulf Coast Platforms

At least two offshore oil platforms halted operations on Tuesday in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico after a fire at a natural gas processing plant in Mississippi shut a crucial pipeline that brings output onshore, several companies said. The fire at Enterprise Products Partners plant in Pascagoula was brought under control, but officials were still forced to close the 225-mile Destin gas pipeline system that can carry 1.2 billion cubic feet per day from offshore fields to Pascagoula. Destin, majority-owned by BP with Enbridge Inc a minority partner, said it was declaring force majeure, a legal clause that allows it to scrap commitments, as a result of the fire.

07 Jan 2016

Harley Marine Acquires 10 Vessels from Enterprise Marine

Harley Marine Services (HMS), a full service marine transportation provider, has acquired certain offshore marine assets of Enterprise Marine Services LLC (EMS), a subsidiary of Enterprise Products Partners, L.P. The acquisition includes 10 vessels to be used in current operations: six double hull petroleum barges and four tugboats. Harley Marine will also acquire the expertise and knowledge of current Enterprise employees associated with these assets, making the transition smooth and seamless as the vessels are incorporated into the Harley Marine fleet and adapt to the company's policies and procedures, the company said. "Securing these assets supports our growth strategy and our focus on exceeding needs and expectations of our customers.

25 Feb 2015

Enterprise: Clients Must Pay for Dock Work

Enterprise Products Partners LP said on Wednesday that companies using its crude oil storage facility in the Houston Ship Channel must pay extra for dock services, brushing off complaints from client BP Plc . "We believe if you want a service, you pay for it," Enterprise Chief Operating Officer Jim Teague told analysts when asked about concerns, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, that the company's strong position in Gulf Coast storage gives it too much pricing power. Britain's BP has reportedly told the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that Enterprise, a major midstream company, has started charging $1 a barrel in dock fees for crude it handles at the Houston site, on top of storage fees. Since Houston is the top U.S. petrochemicals port, the dock fees could add up to big revenue.

23 Dec 2015

Oil Firms Rush to Exploit End of US Crude Export Ban

U.S. energy group Enterprise and oil trader Vitol raced to exploit the end of a 40-year ban on most U.S. crude exports, the first of many firms eager to "stress test" last week's historic opening. Despite a sudden change in global oil market conditions that many oil traders say has eliminated the economic advantage of shipping domestic crude far abroad, some companies that have long lobbied for the change in policy may be eager to show that their effort was not in vain, according to some experts. Houston-based pipeline group Enterprise Products Partners LP said in a statement it will provide pipeline and marine terminal services to load a 600,000-barrel cargo of domestic light crude oil scheduled for the first week of January.

17 Aug 2015

One More Z-Drive on the Job for EMS

Photo courtesy of Cummins

Enterprise Mariner Services, LLC (EMS) operates with the motto “Safe, Efficient, Reliable”. With the addition of their eighth Z-drive towboat and the fourth from Sneed Shipbuilding, the goal of maintaining that excellence is ever more assured. As with the previous three, the 87 by 34-foot Sebastian D, with an 11.5-foot molded depth, was built by Sneed Shipbuilding of Channelview Texas. This makes them well suited for working the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway where they routinely push two 30,000-barrel petroleum barges.

29 Oct 2015

Peaker Energy Building Texas Condensate-export Terminal

The first company to get U.S. government approval to ship minimally processed super-light oil to international markets is building its own export terminal on the Texas Gulf Coast aimed at topping off massive tankers to keep them full. Matthew Goitia, chief executive of privately held Peaker Energy, received the first U.S. government approval to export ultra-light oil known as condensate in September 2013, months before other companies followed suit to exploit the first cracks in the decades-old domestic crude export ban. But Goitia's efforts to put that approval into action faltered, as potential customers listened and then bypassed Peaker to connect their marketing teams directly with shippers. "We weren't big enough to really move the needle on them.