Port of Corpus Christi Has Barges Waiting To Move Eagle Ford Oil

Trafigura Terminals Eagle Ford Port in Corpus Christi

The Port of Corpus Christi has gone from moving less than 10,000 b/d of crude oil in 2011 to approximately 200,000 b/d in August 2012 to almost 350,000 b/d now.

Ships are now standing in line to move Eagle Ford crude and port expansions simply won't come fast enough.

“The longest [wait] I’ve seen is about seven days,” Ray Harrison, the port’s assistant harbor master said last Friday.

There are several construction projects underway or in the works

• A new dock that can handle two 30,000 barrel barges will be in service this month
• A new public dock has been approved that can handle four 30,000 barrel barges
• Two other private projects on port land are being designed to load ships with 500,000 barrel capacity
• Trafigura Terminals is expanding and will be able to handle three medium-range tankers and two inland barges at the same time

As noted by RBN Energy, approximately 30% of the oil shipped out of the port is headed for Morgan City, almost 30% is headed for Houston, another ~10% Beaumont, and ~10% to Texas City. The rest is sent to various locations throughout Texas and Louisiana.

There have been several stories on the port in the past few days. You can read more at platts.com,rbnenergy.com, and at learn more about Trafigura's terminal at texdockrail.com

Largest Refineries in the U.S. Benefit From Eagle Ford Crude

In about a month's time, Motiva Enterprises' Port Arthur refinery will become the largest in the U.S., with 600,000 barrels per day of crude refining capacity.  The facility will surpass ExxonMobil's Baytown refinery that has a capacity of approximately 560,000 barrels per day. Both will benefit from growing U.S. crude supplies. Motiva is a joint venture owned by Shell and Saudi Aramco. The expansion of the Port Arthur refinery was planned over five years ago without the knowledge of growing production in the Eagle Ford Shale and Permian Basin. That's a bonus that will be welcomed with open arms. Local supply generally leads to better margins for refineries.

While parts of the refining industry have made little to negative returns over the past few years, new facilities like Motiva's will be the benchmark for the future. The economies of scale and modern technology will give it an even greater advantage over other U.S. refineries that are near the end of their useful lives.

If you'd like to learn more, you can read an entire article on the subject at minyanville.com

Magellan Midstream Expands Houston Ship Channel Pipeline - Eagle Ford Crude

Magellan Midstream plans to expand a Houston area pipeline to expand the company's Eagle Ford crude pipeline capacity. The six mile pipeline will help increase delivery of crude,  being brought into the area from South Texas, into Houston and Texas City refineries.

Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE: MMP) announced today that it is further expanding its crude oil pipeline distribution capabilities in the Houston area to deliver domestic crude oil and condensate transported via third-party pipeline systems from the Eagle Ford Shale production area directly to local refineries. The project includes the construction of a 6-mile, 24-inch diameter crude oil pipeline between the pipeline interchanges of Genoa Junction and Speed Junction, which will connect to the 24-inch diameter crude oil pipeline along the Houston Ship Channel that was previously announced as part of the partnership’s Houston-to-El Paso pipeline reversal project, allowing Magellan to further distribute product to the Houston-area refineries.

“Magellan’s crude oil infrastructure is strategically positioned to be the last leg distribution conduit to the Houston and Texas City refinery gate for growing domestic crude oil and condensate production,” said Michael Mears, chief executive officer.

Gulf Coast Refineries Supported by Eagle Ford Crude

Gulf Coast refineries are increasing margins as they absorb more domestic crude from the Eagle Ford Shale. Lighter crudes and condensates produced in the Eagle Ford directly offset imports to the Gulf Coast Region. For those counting, that means more jobs in the U.S. Light crude can be refined into products more easily than many of the heavy crudes imported from South America. Easier means cheaper, which in turn makes Gulf Coast refineries more competitive on a global basis. If you've missed the past few years, owning a refinery hasn't been the best of the business world. Production expectations from shales and a lighter crude slate look to be shifting the winds for refineries. 

The booming Eagle Ford shale deposits in southeast Texas offer regional refiners the opportunity to whip up a crude cocktail cheaper than imported and domestic offshore competition.

The cost benefits will get even better when new pipelines enter service that will bypass current bottlenecks and give refiners access to surging supplies of cheap crude from North Dakota and Canada.

Shale oil from the Eagle Ford deposit in southeast Texas has come on strong this year, rising to 272,000 barrels per day (bpd) in June from 70,000 bpd in April, according to energy consultancy Bentek. Some experts say it could top 400,000 bpd by 2013, enough to virtually back out all the region's imports from Nigeria.

Read the entire news release at reuters.com