October 31, 2013 [Tampa Bay Times] - The Tampa Port Authority unveiled: a new $56 million petroleum terminal complex that will keep the region's cars and planes fueled for decades to come.
“It is a one-of-a-kind facility,” said Port of Tampa chief executive officer Paul Anderson. “It will bring sustainability to our state and our region for generations.”
The project is the largest capital investment in port history, and the first phase is already done. The port split the cost with the state of Florida, which contributed $28 million. Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad said West and Central Florida would grind to a halt without it.
“This project is kind of unique in the sense that this is our livelihood,” he said. “This project basically supplies gasoline fuel and passenger (plane) fuel for state of Florida residents.
“You would not be able to use our beautiful infrastructure if this pipeline were shut.”
The new petroleum terminal is being built on top of the old one at the Richard E. Knight Pier, or REK Pier. The thin concrete pier was built in 1968.
It took two years to finish the first phase, which ended this week with the completion of two new berths: Berth 222 and Berth 223. Both are now operational. The first fuel-bearing ship to unload at Berth 223 is scheduled for Nov. 11. Berth 222 is set to get its first ship on Nov. 18.
The next phases of the project will see a third berth — Berth 227 — completed sometime in June 2014. That’s when the old REK Pier is also set to be torn down.
The Port of Tampa receives about 500 petroleum ships a year and unloads 2.4 billion gallons annually. But now it will be able to handle bigger ships and even more capacity.
Most of the fuel is sent out on tanker trucks. But the terminal also pumps product to the Central Florida region — including Orlando International Airport — through two pipelines.
The most innovative aspect of the facility is the special partnership arrangement the port hammered out with the companies using the old REK Pier.
The companies — Kinder Morgan Liquid Terminals LLC; TPSI Terminals LLC; Murphy Oil USA Inc.; and Buckeye Terminals LLC — all signed a 25-year agreement with the port to jointly operate, govern and maintain the facility.
