Offshore deepwater port proposed for Gulf
Jacob Dick, Staff writer
Dec. 3, 2020 Updated: Dec. 3, 2020 11 a.m.
1of3The Blue Marlin deep water crude oil export terminal is being proposed by Energy Transfer in the Gulf of Mexico. It would allow very large crude carriers (VLCCs) to connect to its pipeline system in Cameron, Louisiana and -ultimately- the Nederland terminalU.S. Department of Transportation Maritime AdministrationShow MoreShow Less
Energy Transfer LP is seeking approval for a deepwater crude oil terminal that could eventually connect some of the largest vessels to its terminal in Nederland.
The Blue Marlin Deepwater Port, named after the holding company registered in Corpus Christi, would be located about 99 miles offshore of southwest Louisiana and would include pipeline projects connecting the company's stations to the Nederland terminal.
The U.S. Maritime Administration received the application on Oct. 1 of this year, and the process is still in the scoping phase. The public can participate in a virtual public meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday and can submit written comments until Dec. 5.
Registration for the meeting, contact information for comments and details about the project are available at a specifically designed website, www.bluemarlinnepaprocess.com.
The project would convert an existing platform and pipeline system from natural gas to crude oil and add new infrastructure to support very large crude carriers (VLCCs) coming to collect oil for international export. Two buoy structures called catenary anchor leg moorings, or CALMs, would have to be created to connect the vessels to the facility.
If approved, construction on the offshore port would begin near the end of 2021 and be completed by fall 2023.
The project would create a 42-inch-diameter crude oil pipeline stretching an estimated 37 miles from the existing Stingray Pipeline at Station 501 in Cameron, Louisiana, through Orange and Jefferson counties on the Texas side, to connect with the Nederland terminal.
Project cost estimates have not been disclosed by the company.
The Maritime Administration held its first public meeting of the scoping process, where officials explained the timeline and function of application procedures, but there were few public comments.
Anthony Odak, COO of John W. Stone Oil Distributor in Louisiana, was the only speaker in favor of the project, welcoming the development of the port.
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Two participants expressed opposition to the project, including Naomi Yoder of the ecological nonprofit Healthy Gulf.
"This project has not … demonstrated that it is in the national interest," Yoder said. "That has not been proven, and that must be proven in order for the license to be issued. In addition, the cumulative impacts of fracking and the transport and storage of fossil fuels hasn't been evaluated thoroughly."
The company briefly mentioned the project during an earnings call last August, mentioning that it was halfway through the preliminary application process at that point.
"It's going to be a great market opportunity for not only our Nederland and Permian Express systems, but — more importantly — for all of our customers that bring volumes into Nederland," Marshall S. McCrea, president and CEO of Energy Transfer, said during the call.
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Jacob Dick is the business reporter for the Beaumont Enterprise.
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