14 December 2010
US trade drives oil-storage expansions
The US independent oil-storage business is seeing capacity expansions and corporate acquisitions, as leading operators position to meet trade-driven growth, Martin Quinlan writes
US OIL-products consumption has declined every year since 2005 (see Figure 1) – but the independent storage operators have seen demand for their services increase as trade has expanded. Strong physical flows, particularly as a result of the proliferation of gasoline components, are driving business at the coastal terminals, while inland facilities are benefiting from price contangoes (futures prices higher than prompt prices) in crude and refined products. The result is a wave of construction projects, together with corporate activity as the larger operators play for market-share. Healthy storage fees have also attracted new participants, typically traders, into storage investmen
Also in this section
23 April 2026
The addition of an oil pipeline to the Power of Siberia 2 gas project could ensure deliveries of Russian oil to China, materially shorten logistics lines between West Siberia and final customers, and—amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz—offer a land-based export route that reduces exposure to maritime chokepoints
23 April 2026
There is a clear push to bolster exports to Asia amid uncertainty around its North American neighbour, but there are limits to the benefits from the energy crisis
23 April 2026
Shell made the play-opening discovery in Namibia’s Orange basin back in 2022, but its next well could decide whether the project can actually be commercialised
22 April 2026
The failure of OMV Petrom’s keenly watched exploration campaign at Bulgaria’s Han Asparuh block highlights the Black Sea’s uneven track record, despite major successes like Neptun Deep and Sakarya
