Enterprise Products exporting first US crude oil from Houston in Jan.

600,000 barrel cargo of domestic light crude oil will load on Houston Ship Channel first week of Jan.

Enterprise Products Partners L.P

Companies are moving quickly to tap new markets after the American government lifted the crude oil export ban, with Houston-based Enterprise Products announcing it will load its first international shipment in early Jan.

“We are excited to announce our first contract to export U.S. crude oil, which to our knowledge may be the first export cargo of U.S. crude oil from the Gulf Coast in almost 40 years,” said Jim Teague, COO of Enterprise’s general partner.

The 600,000 barrel cargo of domestic light crude oil is scheduled to load at the Enterprise Hydrocarbon Terminal (EHT) on the Houston Ship Channel during the first week of Jan.

Enterprise EVP COO A J Teague

“Enterprise’s integrated system enabled us to quickly respond to customer demand for U.S. crude oil by international markets,” said Teague.

“We applaud the actions of Congress and President Obama to remove the ban on U.S. crude oil exports.”

Teague says the new law facilitates economic growth and job creation for the United States as well as enhances our national and energy security.

“This action provides new markets to domestic producers, especially producers of light crude oil, and will provide global markets with supply diversification,” he said.