Pipelines continue to transport the most oil according to the industry’s recently released annual report on shifts in petroleum transportation. Each year’s report compares the volumes of petroleum transported in the last 20 years by pipeline, water carries, motor vehicles and railroads. The 2006 report shows the shift between 1984 and 2004.
Measured in ton-miles, oil pipelines transported 66.44 percent of the total crude and petroleum products carried in domestic transportation compared to 2003’s report of 66.82. Pipelines carried 75.9 percent of the 902.5 billion ton-miles of crude petroleum moved in 2004 compared to 2003’s 74.8 percent. Pipelines carried 59.8 percent of the total 528.4 billion ton-miles of light petroleum products such as gasoline, jet fuel, liquid petroleum gas, kerosene, heating and fuel oils.
“Pipeline’s continue to be among the most economical, safe and efficient form of transporting petroleum products in the U.S.,” said Ben Cooper, Executive Director of the Association of Oil Pipelines. “This year’s report confirms the industry’s commitment to being the number one transporter of oil and petroleum products in the country.”
Pipelines carried 1.6 percent more crude and petroleum products than was reported in 2003’s report. This compares with a 2.2 percent increase in total movements of all forms of transportation during the same period. In 2004, Pipelines carried 18.3 percent more crude and petroleum than they did in 1984.
