The initiative is expected to provide an efficient alternative to offshore lightering and inland dock operations.
The Texas Offshore Port System (TOPS) project is expected to include an offshore port, two onshore storage facilities with approximately 5.1 million barrels of total crude oil storage capacity, and an associated 160-mile pipeline system with the capacity to deliver up to 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil.
System capacity could be expanded with the construction of additional offshore facilities. Development of the offshore port system and onshore infrastructure is supported by long-term contracts with refinery operator Motiva Enterprises, and an affiliate of ExxonMobil, which together have committed a total volume of approximately 725,000bpd.
Demand for the TOPS project is being driven by planned and expected refinery expansions along the upper Texas Gulf Coast that are anticipated to add approximately 425,000bpd of capacity beginning in 2010, as well as expected increases in general ship traffic at onshore ports.
