LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - A proposed project aims to make it easier for the U.S. to export crude oil.
Energy Transfer wants to build the Blue Marlin Offshore Port around 100 miles south of the Cameron coast, which has some local residents concerned.
The Blue Marlin Offshore Port will load crude oil onto tankers, but to get there, the oil must travel through a pipeline from Nederland, Texas, to Johnson bayou, then through an existing pipeline to the offshore port.
The project proposes installation of a 42-inch pipeline, measuring approximately 37 miles in length. The pipeline will began in Nederland, Texas and end in Cameron Parish Louisiana where it will tap into the existing stingray mainline at the stingray 501 station.
The port is being designed to transport crude oil from an existing crude oil terminal in Nederland, Texas over to existing stingray pipeline where it will continue with travel offshore to an existing platform and ultimately be loaded onto very large crude carriers, said a spokesperson for Energy Transfer and Blue Marlin Offshore Port.
Not everyone at the hearing was in favor of the development.
“A lot of these permits y’all are okaying, y’all not thinking about people’s lives, the habitats, what people have to eat, the seafood that makes up Calcasieu and Cameron parish around here,” said a resident.
Community members also said they were concerned about how close the pipeline would be to Peveto Woods Sanctuary, which is critical to birds and butterflies.
“What’s really concerning is where this is being placed,” said another resident. “There is one sanctuary for birds and butterflies along the Gulf Coast in this area. And wouldn’t you know it that this pipeline is going to be routed right in front of that, with the compressor stay or with the pump station right next to it. Were alternative sites actually looked at, or were we just going to use the existing for profit making infrastructure?”
The application for the project is still under review by the Federal Maritime Administration and the Coast Guard.
https://www.kplctv.com/2025/11/21/port-pipeline-project-proposed-cameron-parish/