Overview of Terminals

In Part 1 of this 2-part series, published in the July/August 2015 issue of Inspectioneering Journal, I discussed corrosion control methods and some effective techniques for inspecting ASTs, and also identified several root causes of AST failures in crude oil service. In this second installment, I will briefly review the costs associated with AST failures and discuss maintenance strategies to help prevent and/or mitigate predictable and unforeseen incidents.

• Continue reading...

New inline inspections and integrity management systems allow operators to understand the complexities and economics of terminals’ and station’s complex aging pipeline infrastructure.

• Continue reading...

In a report issued May 27, 2009 for an investigation into the November 2008 fertilizer tank collapse at Allied Terminals in Chesapeake, VA, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recommended that the Commonwealth of Virginia regulate or authorize local jurisdictions to regulate the design, construction, maintenance and inspection of large fertilizer storage tanks located on the Elizabeth River.

• Continue reading...

The purpose of the new SPCC rule is two-fold; i.e. to prevent oil spills from occurring and to respond to them if they do occur. We believe that few will argue that prevention is far better and less costly than response in general. The focus of this paper is to highlight how the new SPCC invokes existing industry standards as a requirement for implementation at all covered facilities in an effort to prevent spills. In particular, we focus on the most important industry standards that are required to prevent spills from occurring in existing facilities. Since the SPCC rule does not specifically identify any required standards the task of figuring out which standards are applicable and must be implemented is a challenging one. There are at least a hundred industry standards related to tanks and terminal facilities.

• Continue reading...

Fines for violations of air, water and waste regulations by U.S. petroleum storage facilities so far this year have exceeded all of last year.

• Continue reading...

A large fire broke out this weekend at Intercontinental Terminals Company's (ITC) storage facility in La Porte, TX, just outside of Houston. The fire originated on Sunday in one storage tank holding Naptha, but has since spread to seven other tanks.

• Continue reading...

On Tuesday, ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum announced a final investment decision on a $10 billion project to expand liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capabilities from the Texas Gulf Coast.

• Continue reading...

The Golden Pass Products LLC export project at the existing Golden Pass LNG facility in Sabine Pass, Texas, is moving forward following a positive final investment decision from its owners, affiliates of Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil.

• Continue reading...

Canadian-owned Irving Oil recently announced its acquisition of the Tedcastle group of companies, an Irish-based energy marketing and distribution organization, which operates under the brand name Top Oil.

• Continue reading...

AET is a powerful, non-intrusive inspection technique to verify the structural integrity of pressure vessels, spheres, high-temperature reactors and piping, coke drums, above-ground storage tanks, cryogenic storage tanks, and more.

• Continue reading...

Sempra Energy has received the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to construct the Port Arthur LNG natural gas liquefaction-export project in Jefferson County, Texas.

• Continue reading...

Enterprise Products Partners LP’s re-purposed natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline in the Permian Basin will begin limited operations in February to carry crude oil to the U.S. Gulf Coast, ahead of its original plan, the company said on Thursday.

• Continue reading...

Chevron U.S.A. Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, has signed a Share Purchase Agreement with Petrobras to acquire all the outstanding shares and equity interests of Pasadena Refining System, Inc. for $350 million.

• Continue reading...

Magellan Midstream has begun talks with companies developing crude transportation assets in Freeport, TX, as it considers building a U.S. crude export terminal there instead of its previously planned spot off Corpus Christi.

• Continue reading...

Buckeye Partners, L.P. recently announced it has completed the sale of a package of domestic pipeline and terminal assets to a subsidiary of InstarAGF Asset Management Inc. for cash proceeds of $450 million. The Asset Package includes: a jet fuel pipeline from Port Everglades, Florida to the Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, Florida airports; pipelines and terminal facilities serving the Reno, Nevada; San Diego, California and Memphis, Tennessee airports; and refined petroleum products terminals in Sacramento and Stockton, California.

• Continue reading...

Facilities are facing increasing challenges, including justifying inflated budgets, managing contractor hours, ensuring regulatory compliance and qualifying the work being completed. To help facilities manage evolving inspection requirements, PinnacleART offers Fixed-Price Inspection (FPI), meaning we will develop and execute a comprehensive Risk-Based Inspection plan for one fixed-price. Yes, you read that right – one fixed-price.

• Continue reading...

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity will reach 8.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) by the end of 2019, making it the third largest in the world behind Australia and Qatar.

• Continue reading...

Inter Pipeline Ltd. has announced a $1.46 billion (CAD) capital expenditure program for 2019. Approximately $1.34 billion (CAD), or 92 percent, of total capital expenditures will be for organic growth initiatives with the remaining invested in sustaining capital projects.

• Continue reading...

Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. ("Par Pacific") has signed a definitive agreement to acquire U.S. Oil & Refining Co. and certain affiliated entities (collectively, "U.S. Oil"), a privately-held downstream business, for $358 million plus net working capital. The acquisition includes a 42,000 bpd refinery, a marine terminal, a unit train-capable rail loading terminal, and 2.9 MMbbls of refined product and crude oil storage.

• Continue reading...

American Midstream Partners, LP has entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of its refined products terminalling business to Sunoco LP, for approximately $125 million in cash, subject to working capital adjustments.

• Continue reading...

The Port of Corpus Christi Authority recently announced it has entered into an agreement with The Carlyle Group to work exclusively to develop a world-class crude oil export terminal on Harbor Island, connecting growing crude oil production in the United States with global markets.

• Continue reading...

Auto-refrigeration can impose low temperatures onto process vessels and piping causing them to be at risk of brittle fracture, the sudden break-before leak phenomena that can result in catastrophic rupture of the equipment.

• Continue reading...

PBF Logistics has closed on the acquisition of CPI Operations LLC, which owns a storage facility and other idled assets located on the Delaware River near Paulsboro, New Jersey. The total consideration was $107.0 million (USD).

• Continue reading...

MPLX LP recently announced it has purchased an eastern U.S. Gulf Coast export terminal with 4 million barrels of third-party leased storage capacity and a 120,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) dock from Pin Oak Holdings, LLC, for approximately $450 million.

• Continue reading...

Kinder Morgan Inc has hired investment bank TD Securities to facilitate a potential sale of its Canadian business, which could fetch as much as C$2.4 billion ($1.8 billion), people familiar with the situation told Reuters this week.

• Continue reading...

Targa Resources Corp. has executed agreements to sell its refined products and crude oil storage and terminaling facilities in Tacoma, WA and Baltimore, MD to an affiliate of ArcLight Capital Partners, LLC for approximately $160 million.

• Continue reading...

Flint Hills Resources has announced plans to expand its Ingleside crude oil export facility along the Corpus Christi Ship Channel.

• Continue reading...

AET is a powerful, non-intrusive inspection technique to verify the structural integrity of pressure vessels, spheres, high-temperature reactors and piping, coke drums, above-ground storage tanks, cryogenic storage tanks, and more.

• Continue reading...

Par Pacific Holdings Inc shares jumped 17 percent on Thursday after the refiner said it would acquire assets from its rival in Hawaii and expand its fuels production.

• Continue reading...

Global commodities trader Trafigura has applied to build a deep water port in Texas, United States, that would be able to load supertankers, the company said on Monday, supplying badly needed oil export infrastructure to the country.

• Continue reading...

A new race to build multi-billion dollar liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants is gaining momentum after a long hiatus in investments as energy giants sense a widening supply gap within five years.

• Continue reading...

Tallgrass Energy, LP has announced plans to develop a new crude oil pipeline from Cushing, Okla., to the St. James, La., refining complex, as well as a separate new export-capable liquids terminal strategically located near the mouth of the Mississippi River.

• Continue reading...

Occidental Petroleum Corp (Oxy) is exploring a sale of its pipeline assets, hoping to fetch more than $5 billion and free up capital to invest in exploration and production as oil prices rebound, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

• Continue reading...

Our proprietary furnace tube inspection system, FTIS™, is an ultrasonic inspection technology capable of rapid, automated fired heater coil inspection in refinery fired heaters. The data captured by our furnace tube inspection system is exceptionally powerful when combined with our LifeQuest™ remaining life assessment capabilities, providing an integrated solution set for refinery fired heaters in the refining and chemical industries.

• Continue reading...

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued two reports on the safe management of hazards by small businesses and storage facilities that use highly hazardous chemicals in business processes.

• Continue reading...

The DOJ, EPA, and TCEQ have announced an agreement with Vopak Terminal Deer Park Inc. and Vopak Logistics Services USA, Inc., to improve air quality in the Houston area by strengthening air pollution controls and compliance with federal and state clean air laws at Vopak’s chemical storage terminal and wastewater treatment facility in Deer Park, Texas.

• Continue reading...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has settled with Wilson Oil, Inc., (doing business as Wilcox & Flegel Oil Co.) for alleged Clean Water Act spill prevention violations at its Longview Terminal facility in Longview, Washington.

• Continue reading...

Tesoro Corporation, through its affiliates Tesoro Alaska Company LLC and Tesoro Alaska Terminals LLC, has acquired Flint Hills Resources' (FHR) wholesale marketing and logistics assets in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska.

• Continue reading...

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has approved the final investigation report and video from the 2009 explosion and fire at caribbean petroleum terminal facility in Puerto Rico.

• Continue reading...

The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has released its draft investigation report into the 2009 massive explosion at the Caribbean Petroleum, or CAPECO, terminal facility near San Juan, Puerto Rico.

• Continue reading...