Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (KMEP) plans to expand its Pasadena and Galena Park terminals on the Houston Ship Channel to provide additional refined product storage and dock services.
The $240-million combined investment includes the construction of 2.1 million bbl of storage between the two terminals. KMEP also will build a ship dock capable of handling oceangoing vessels and improve its Galena Park terminal to increase the vessel load rates across existing ship docks.
KMEP says the project is backed by long-term contracts with existing customers. The new ship dock and the existing Galena Park ship docks will be capable of loading vessels at rates up to 15,000 bbl/hr.
“The new tankage will provide refined product producers and traders the ability to send more barrels to the water for international exports or to the network of pipelines for domestic use,” explained John Schlosser, president of Kinder Morgan Terminals.
“Kinder Morgan will now have nine ship docks on the Houston Ship Channel and will double the load rates on existing docks. We see continuing strong demand for transporting fuel to the Gulf Coast to reach export markets,” Schlosser said.
KMEP in 2013 reported plans to expand its liquids storage and docking services along HSC by purchasing 42 acres, building a ship dock to handle oceangoing vessels, and building 1.2 million bbl of liquids storage tanks with connectivity to the Galena Park terminal (OGJ Online, Jan. 14, 2013).