Mile 160.7 - RBD thru 158 RBD St James Petroleum Terminals
160.7 RBD thru 158 RBD St James Petroleum Terminals
It’s difficult to see it from a canoe or kayak but for almost 3 miles along the West Bank (RBD) are a continuous series of petroleum terminals making up one of the nations most important crude oil hubs. If the water is high enough or you climb up the levee you will see over 100 large storage tanks; the largest of which cover over 1.5 acres a piece. These tanks are primarily used to store crude oil as it is transferred between pipeline (a number of major crude oil pipelines tie in here), railcar, and ship. Pipelines connect the terminals to offshore oil production in the Gulf of Mexico and oil refineries in Louisiana and Texas. Crude oil from the Bakken, Niobara, and Eagle Ford shales are brought in by rail. Crude oil can also be imported and exported via tanker ship.
The terminals include:
- Plains All American Pipeline LP - St James Terminal which has a storage capacity of 8,300,000 barrels and a rail unloading capacity of 130,000 barrels of oil per day.
- NuStar Energy - St James Terminal which has a storage capacity of 8,363,000 barrels and a rail unloading capacity of 120,000 barrels of oil per day.
- Shell - Sugarland St. James Terminal storage capacity unavailable.
- Loop - St. James Terminal has 2,600,000 barrels of storage capacity situated on 140 acres of land. (Paul Orr)