the shore itself (sand beach, rocky cliff, coastal plain, etc.), the 

 draft of the largest expected vessel, and the expense of channel dredging 

 (initial and maintenance). (Offshore oil and gas transfer systems 

 (including deep ports) are discussed in relation to offshore moorings in 

 Section 3.2. ) 



Natural gas is piped directly from offshore fields to processing 

 plants. Some processing (such as separation) may take place at a marine 

 terminal/storage tank complex if the output from offshore production 

 includes both oil and gas and is piped to shore in the same line. The oil 

 will be sent to a storage tank and the gas directly to a final processing 

 plant. 



An oil storage tank complex is normally required in conjunction with 

 a marine terminal site for crude oil, because tankers move oil in batches, 

 while production and processing units operate more or less continuously. 

 Oil production close to processing facilities allows direct piping to 

 refineries and will require substantially less storage capacity than will 

 production in more remote areas which is likely to require tanker 

 transport to refineries. 



Most "shoreside" terminals are built inside a harbor. They may have 

 one or more piers running either parallel or perpendicular to the water- 

 front. A variant, the "nearshore terminal", consists of the same major 

 components as shoreside terminals but is built far enough offshore to be 

 in the required depth of water for the ships it is to serve. 



The decision to build a marine terminal on the coast adjacent to an 

 OCS field is made at the same time that production and transportation 

 strategies are determined. A new terminal might be developed in the area 

 adjacent to a proven OCS field if pipelines are uneconomical and refineries 

 are distant. In such cases, small tankers might bring in crude oil from 

 production platforms for transshipment by larger tankers. A marine 

 terminal could also be developed if a refinery exists or is planned in 

 the adjacent region and some or all of the offshore production is expected 

 to be refined there. On the other hand, a likely case for marine terminal 

 development is a highly productive field relatively close to shore (less 

 than 150 miles), wherein the terminal would receive crude oil by pipeline 

 for loading into large tankers [3]. 



3.3.2 Site Requirements 



Marine terminals, where possible, will be located in existing harbors 

 with pipeline connections to storage tanks. If no appropriate harbor is 

 available, a terminal may be located in the nearest waters that offer 

 shelter from adverse weather conditions. The storage tank area does not 

 need to be on the waterfront; for example, storage tank farms are sited 

 three miles inland from two marine terminals located in the United 

 Kingdom [7]. However, waterfront area may be required for a pumping 

 station. 



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