MARAD Approves License for Blue Marlin Crude Export Port in Louisiana

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) approved the license application for the Blue Marlin Offshore Port, a billion-dollar crude export project located off the coast of Louisiana. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced the decision on November 5, and the terminal will have the capacity to export up to 2 million barrels of crude oil per day.

The facility will be located about 99 miles off Cameron Parish, Louisiana, in the West Cameron 509 block, and will be developed by an Energy Transfer subsidiary. The port will use existing and converted offshore platform infrastructure to load Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) directly in deepwater, with a maximum loading rate of 80,000 barrels per hour.

Crude will reach the platform network through a dedicated pipeline system connecting supply hubs in Texas, including the Nederland Terminal area, and southwest Louisiana. According to the Department of Transportation, the project could generate up to 1,052 construction jobs, and the Russian port news agency reported that the development includes a new 37-mile, 42-inch onshore pipeline, as well as the conversion of an existing 36-inch pipeline for crude oil service.

The license application was filed by Blue Marlin Offshore Port LLC on October 1, 2020, and MARAD, together with the U.S. Coast Guard, completed the final environmental impact statement this year, following a review that involved federal agencies and the states of Texas and Louisiana. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also proposed air quality permits for the project, with a public comment period that closed on October 29. The approval does not set a construction start date or a timeline for commercial operations.

Duffy stated that building the port will boost domestic production, create more than 1,000 well-paying construction jobs, and open up vital supply lines to global markets. MARAD Administrator Stephen Carmel noted that the approval demonstrates the agency's ability to accelerate energy infrastructure development while maintaining safety standards. Blue Marlin is the fourth deepwater port project authorized under the Trump administration and the second crude export project approved since the executive order on unleashing American energy issued in January 2025.