Infrastructure that supports the waterborne movement of fuels includes: • Tankers and barges specifically designed to transport crude oil, NGLs and refined petroleum products; • Privately owned docks, jetties and fuel loading/unloading facilities; and • The ports and waterways themselves, which are largely managed and maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. America’s refining and petrochemical industries are concentrated around deepwater ports, with ocean access along the Gulf, East and West coasts, to support inbound shipments of foreign crude oil and outbound shipments of domestically produced refined products.
By the Numbers The U.S. system of ports and waterways includes 926 harbors located along the coasts, Great Lakes and inland waterways; and 25,000 miles of inland waterways, which include 239 locks. 14 According to the most recent data available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on average, 18.1 million b/d of crude oil, refined products and NGLs move through this system. Imports and exports dominate these volumes, and imports averaged 7.2 million b/d and exports averaged 4.8 million b/d. 15 Domestic movements were 6.2 million b/d, of which 2.5 million b/d moved along the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts, and 3.7 million b/d moved on inland waterways, the Great Lakes and between docks within a port.
In addition, Florida and coastal New England –
both major U.S. population centers – rely on waterborne shipments of refined products because they lack in-region refineries and are not served by long-distance product pipelines. Hawaii, which has two refineries, relies on waterborne shipments of crude oil and some refined products, as does Puerto
On average, 18.1 million b/d of crude oil, refined products and NGLs move through the U.S. system of ports and waterways.
Rico, which has no refineries. Much of the interior of the United States relies on fuel deliveries via the U.S. inland river system, which includes the Mississippi, Ohio, Illinois and Hudson rivers.
The U.S. system of ports and waterways services both domestic movements and international trade of crude oil, NGLs and refined petroleum products. With U.S. oil, gas and NGL production increasing, and with waterborne shipments an essential part of the transportation supply chain, significant investments are needed to maintain and improve our nation’s waterways.
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