Texas GulfLink deepwater port gets MARAD green light

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “With this approval, we are increasing our energy revenue and unlocking our vast oil resources—not just for domestic security, but to dominate the global market.” [Screengrab from YouTube video

Sentinel Midstream has cleared the final regulatory hurdle needed for it to go ahead with its planned Texas GulfLink deepwater U.S. crude oil export port.

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Feb. 14 announced that the Maritime Administration (MARAD) had issued the Texas GulfLink (TGL) Record of Decision (ROD) to Sentinel Midstream, LLC, which will own, construct, and operate the deepwater port for the export of domestically produced crude oil, located approximately 26.6 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County, Texas

According to Sentinel Midstream, Texas GulfLink will have the ability to safely fully load Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) to export crude oil to the global market. Texas GulfLink will receive crude oil via an onshore crude oil pipeline from the Houston market into above-ground crude oil storage tanks, which will be located near Jones Creek, Texas. The crude oil will be transported via a 42-inch pipeline to one of two floating Single Point Mooring (SPM) buoys in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 32 miles offshore from the Freeport, Texas area.

The SPM buoys will allow VLCCs and other crude oil tankers to moor and receive up to two million barrels of crude oil per day. A manned offshore platform, equipped with round-the-clock port monitoring, custody transfer metering, and surge relief will provide assurance that shippers’ commercial risks are mitigated. In addition, the manned platform will enhance safety, environmental oversight, and security.

Texas GulfLink submitted an application for a deepwater port license to the United States Maritime Administration and United States Coast Guard on May 30, 2019.

The USCG and MARAD, in coordination with participating federal agencies, prepared the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), which was published on July 5, 2024.

MARAD reviewed and addressed the substantive public comments received on the FEIS. The Department of Transportation notes that the ROD was guided by the nine statutory requirements contained in the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 a.

MARAD says that its action supports President Trump’s Unleashing American Energy Executive Order that was signed on January 20, 2025.

“Today, we are unleashing the full power of American energy,” said Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “With this approval, we are increasing our energy revenue and unlocking our vast oil resources—not just for domestic security, but to dominate the global market.”

The announcement of the Texas GulfLink ROD came the same day that President Trump announced the establishment of the National Energy Dominance Council.

More on that HERE