Best Means Of Crude Oil Transportation

| Saturday, May 28, 2016
By Eric Phillips


Crude oil is a valuable commodity. Owing to the many uses of petroleum products, it is always on the move to and from refining industries. However, this product is very delicate and thus requires a very sensitive method of handling it. On how delicate it is a clear list of factors of consideration needs to be scrutinized before opting on crude oil transportation.

The most key thing is ensuring that the method is safe. Being flammable it is imperative to ensure that this mineral is away from any possible fire sources. This is because these fires are tough to put them out as they typically spread very quickly. The damage associated with such fires are also is enormous due to the much property destruction and many lives lost.

Additionally, the means of transporting it should be reliable. This is because people have turned its transportation into a profitable enterprise. This has made time to be a very crucial aspect of the whole process. There is also a need for ensuring that this delicate mineral is delivered in the required state. An unreliable method taints the image of the transportation company.

The cost and accessibility of means are to the same extent relevant. The means to be chosen should be affordable in as much as the business of transportation is concerned. Some means are also limited to the geographical locations of the center of delivery. It is, therefore, important to choose a means that will be able to cover a vast region.

Upon a critical analysis, one may end up settling for several means of transport. Some are railway trucks, road trucks, use of pipeline, truck barges just to mention a few. These methods have their advantages and shortcomings depending on the context of its application.

The use of pipelines is one of the oldest and most common used. They are composed of well-laid pipes that run along different areas. The movement of crude oil is done through pumping. They mainly connect the oil mining areas or delivery ports to refining companies. They usually are not subject to the risks of accidents. These pipes can cheaply be maintained. However, the oil leak is a problem associated with pipelines.

Another method that is used most often is the oil trucks along the roads. They can access any place that has a road network making them flexible. Their presence on the roads has, however, led to increased congestion. They are also prone to fire accidents since there is unlimited fire causing agents along the road. These fire outbreaks prove to be very disastrous.

Railway oil trucks started being used so that they reduce the usage of pipelines and oil trucks as the primary methods of transportation. To avoid interruption of commercial railway transport special rails were constructed for this purpose. They can be relied upon as the oil is exposed to fewer risks. However, they fail to be time conscious.

In addition to these three, there are the tank barges which only transport the mineral along water bodies. This has made them less common. They tend to have the ability to carry also the products of crude oil from the refining site back to the market. Their initial purpose was to transport only petrochemical products.




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