2.2.4 Pipelines 



Offshore oil and gas are brought ashore by pipelines. They are 

 usually put in by a pipeline-laying company under contract to an oil 

 company. Offshore operators use highly conservative design, emplacement, 

 and operating methodologies for offshore pipelines, apparently because 

 of the costs of underwater installation and the necessary environmental 

 constraints. Performance clearly shows that pipelines are safer and 

 more dependable than tankers and barges [26]. Also, pipelines allow for 

 continuous transportation of petroleum products; they are less dependent 

 on weather conditions which cause other modes of transportation to shut 

 down; production and transportation shutdowns are costly to the oil 

 companies and may result in interruptions of supply to onshore users. 

 It seems likely that pipelines will be used to transport oil from most 

 new U.S. offshore fields if permits for pipeline corridors and landfalls 

 can be readily obtained. 



Figure 18. Pipelines - project implementation schedule. 



INVESTMENT COMMITMENTS: 



Site Purchase 



Site Option(s) Taken 



Start of 

 Construction 



YEARS ••• 



PERMIT ACQUISITIONS: 



jQBegin Use 

 of Pipelines 



Acquisition of Use and 

 Location Permits 



Operating Permits 



Preconstruction Permits 

 (Includes EIS) 



88 



