LOOP says tankers canceled deliveries last week

[Subdivisions]

The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) said on Thursday some crude oil tankers canceled scheduled deliveries last week, but the only U.S. deep-water oil port operated normally.

Delays in Gulf Coast tanker movements was cited by the U.S. Energy Information Administration when it reported an 8.8-million-barrel drop in U.S. crude oil inventories on Thursday.

"We had a light week last week," said LOOP spokeswoman Barb Hestermann. "They don't happen very often, but they do happen."

The LOOP can offload over 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) in crude oil from tankers and takes 500,000 barrels of crude via pipeline from the offshore Mars platform.

The EIA report of tanker delays left the U.S. Coast Guard and shipping sources scratching their heads after repeated calls from reporters asking if they knew of any problems in the major waterways supplying Gulf Coast refineries.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN2929207020080529">More »

Just more on today's oil uproar. Apparently there are alot of reporters who, like me, are wanting to follow up on what's been going on around those ports in the past couple of weeks that has led to crude shortfalls totalling 13 million barrels in two weeks.

[dbt]

1. Nice work. K & R

[TomInTib]

2. "canceled scheduled deliveries"? Just what the heck does that mean?

"Screw it, off-load in Greece".

This just doesn't make any sense.

Where would they go? They sure as hell aren't anchored offshore with full loads.

Wierd...

[DCKit]

5. "They sure as hell aren't anchored offshore with full loads."

Yet I've been hearing that's what they did in 1974, 1982 and exactly what they're doing now - sitting offshore waiting for the next price spike.

Reports from the ME say they can't ship any more oil because there are no tankers available to load.

So where are the tankers? The Twilight Zone?

BTW, one web site with a financial interest in oil prices blamed fog in the Gulf of Mexico for the delays. At the end of May. In the Gulf of Mexico.

When the rent of the boats begins to tax the profit margin on it's cargo, they're going to want to bring them all in at once and it's going to be a clusterfuck.

[TomInTib]

6. Wow. I would think the costs and risksassociated with simply parking them...

would be prohibitive.

"fog in the Gulf" - Yeah, right.

We better hope a couple of them don't bang together.

[Subdivisions]

17. Yes, fog was blamed for the cancellation of deliveries, which

is what got me to thinkin'. So, I did a little investigative work about the fog and the "delays". So, I called port authorities and National Weather Service bureaus around the western Gulf and here are threads from earlier that I posted as I was learning more about the situation in the Gulf of Mexico:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3356941&mesg_id=3358047

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3356941&mesg_id=3358197

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3356941&mesg_id=3358302

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3357619&mesg_id=3358744

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3356941&mesg_id=3359066


Today's inventory report:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3356941&mesg_id=3356941

[notadmblnd]

9. another tactic being used to fuel this artificial shortage?

did I get it right? Where's my prize?

[pingzing58]

3. That oil and refinery market is being manipulated is a given. But who are the one's behind this?

[ixion]

4. who's behind it? Ultimately the same set of thugs who ran the Enron scam

would be my bet. But if there's any doubt, just follow the money.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

7. They have to keep the price of gas up SOMEHOW...

:shrug:

[2hip]

8. OP's like yours are why I come to DU

That's some tasty meat on the bone! Nice work!

[yellerpup]

10. Smells like California

when Gray Davis was the Governor. Sure would like to know who 'advised" Cheney at the Energy Task Force closed door meeting back at the beginning of the first term. They've been screwing us on energy since. We need CHANGE. K&R! Good work. :kick:

[aquart]

14. Please. This is PROOF that the Democrats are taking over.

They're milking every last dime out of our economy before January. If they thought McCain would win, they'd be more relaxed and prices would be lower because that would help him. But they're not even trying to help him.

[yellerpup]

19. Exciting to hear it expressed in that way.

I hope you are right and that Greg Palast is wrong. IMO Bush was "elected" to drive the price of gasoline into the stratosphere and destroy as much infrastructure as possible. The BFEE helps no one but themselves.

[Uncle Joe]

11. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Texas Explorer.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

12. K&R

[lildreamer316]

13. Kick, rec, and bookmarked.

Thank you for staying on top of this. I am following...

[lostnfound]

15. The Enron traders created artificial shortages by requesting powerplants to shut down units.

Same tactic, I bet.

[earth mom]

16. The next Enron NO DOUBT.

My husband just told me a story about how in the L.A. area during the fuel shortage crisis of the 70s his brother saw some a guy driving a fuel tanker putting fuel into tanks at a gas station that had been closed. He asked the guy about it and the guy said this was happening all over the place and that they were running out of places to store the fuel. :wtf:

Sounds like the same thing is happening now. :argh:

[Rosemary2205]

18. Telling that this had to come from a UK news source.