Potential for Deepwater Port Development in the United States

The development of deepwater ports in the United States has received much attention in recent years, primarily because of the increasing size of oil tankers and the country's increasing reliance on oil imports. Large tankers offer the most economical method for moving large volumes of crude oil over long distances. Because the United States does not have deepwater port facilities capable of handling the commonly used large tankers, oil must be transferred from large to smaller vessels before delivery.

The expected need for an increase in the number of smaller tankers will create congestion and hazards of collision and oilspill. According to the Department of Commerce, offshore deepwater ports using pipelines to transport the oil would provide a safer alternative. Some deepwater ports are being planned off Louisiana and Texas, but no proposals for such ports are being considered for the mid-Atlantic areas. State and local governments have opposed the ports because of concerns about oilspills and secondary industrial growth and have questioned their economic feasibility because of poor prospects for much increase in refinery capacity. Judgments about the feasibility of a deepwater port on the Atlantic coast should be deferred until a definitive study is completed.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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