Motiva Enterprises LLC's Port Arthur Refinery has joined two other Motiva Enterprises refineries, Equiva Services' Corporate Communications Office and Equilon Enterprises' Puget Sound Refining Company in activating a PIER System Site to enhance it's ability to communicate with the public.

A PIER System Site is an internet-based communications management tool.  It enables members of  the Port Arthur Refinery's communication staff to work together effectively on-line to prepare and approve public information. Upon approval, the PIER System allows Port Arthur users to instantly disseminate prepared information to reporters, community members, government leaders and responding agencies.

The PIER System also allows people to submit inquiries to the Port Arthur Refinery and to add themselves to an email list to receive further updates.

The Port Arthur Refinery is one of three Motiva Enterprises refineries which have purchased the PIER System to enhance public communication efforts. Motiva Enterprises LLC is a joint venture owned by affiliates of Shell, Texaco and Saudi Aramco. The joint venture combines the major elements of the three companies' former Eastern and Gulf Coast U.S. refining and marketing businesses.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Motiva Enterprises refines and markets gasoline and other petroleum products under the Shell and Texaco brand names in all or parts of 26 states and the District of Columbia, providing product to approximately 14,600 Shell-and Texaco-branded retail outlets. Motiva Enterprises' major assets include four refineries and ownership or partial interest in 49 product terminals.

Motiva refineries utilizing the PIER System at this time include the Delaware City Refinery, located in Delaware, the Norco Refining Company, located next to the Mississippi River about 20 miles north of New Orleans and the Port Arthur Refinery, located on the Gulf Coast at Port Arthur, Texas.

Located on the Gulf Coast, the Port Arthur Refinery was Texaco’s first refinery. Currently, the refinery processes more than 235,000 barrels of crude oil per day in state-of-the-art facilities. Major products of the refinery are: gasoline, distillates, jet fuel, lubricant base oils and chemicals/solvents.

The Norco Refining Company is located next to the Mississippi River, about 20 miles north of New Orleans, Louisiana. The refinery has a capacity of 225,000 barrels per day. Norco is actually an acronym for New Orleans Refining Company. The plant has 682 employees and about 300 on contract. Products at the refinery include oil products such as gasoline, jet fuel and diesel fuels.

The Delaware City Refinery began production in 1957 as part of the Tidewater Oil Company’s refining system. Located 15 miles from Wilmington, it has a capacity of 140,000 barrels a day, and there are about 650 employees and 300 contractors at the plant. Major products include: gasoline, heating oil, diesel, liquid sulfur, propane, petrochemicals, and petroleum coke.

The External Communication and Relations Office of Equiva Services LLC has also activated a PIER site for use in day-to-day and emergency communications.  Based in Houston, Texas, Equiva Services LLC is a shared-services company jointly owned by Equilon Enterprises LLC and Motiva Enterprises LLC. Equiva Services provides a full range of corporate services in support for both these companies.

While the PIER System was designed for effective stakeholder communication in emergencies, users are discovering PIER’s ability to dramatically enhance the effectiveness of daily public communication. Utilizing the PIER System in this way provides a significant benefit.  "An important advantage of the PIER System is that our clients are using it for day-to-day communication. That means when an emergency happens, the team is fully trained and prepared to make complete use of the technology," commented PIER president Bill Kidd.

The PIER System has already been in use within the oil industry for several months. The system was developed as a result of direct involvement in the Olympic Pipeline explosion in Bellingham, Washington in June 1999. It was first implemented in Equilon's Puget Sound Refinery in Anacortes, Washington and is also being used by the BP Cherry Point Refinery. The U.S. Coast Guard District 13 has implemented the system and is actively using it for routine communication as well as emergency response. In addition, the system is used by National Energy Systems, the EPA’s Region IX Regional Response Team, and a variety of other government agencies and corporations.

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