Shell Pipeline and the Community

For more than 80 years, Shell Pipeline Company LP has helped meet America’s energy needs. We transport more than 2 billion barrels of crude oil and refined products annually through thousands of miles of pipelines located in seven states.

We carry more than 50 different kinds of crude oil and more than 20 different grades of gasoline, as well as diesel fuel, jet fuel, chemicals, ethylene and natural gas liquids – products that are fundamental to the American way of life.

As a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell Oil Products US, a unit of Shell Oil Company, we’re part of one of the world’s leading energy companies, which has been a prominent participant in America’s energy industry for a century. With our integrated network of trunk lines, distribution systems, interconnects and terminals, we operate safely, efficiently and dependably – key factors in keeping the commodities we carry more affordable for the people who count on them.

For more information about Shell Pipeline and pipeline safety, download our brochure.

At Shell Pipeline Company, we take steps to preserve the integrity of our pipelines, storage tanks and facilities to help keep them safe, reliable and environmentally sound.

• We conduct risk and integrity assessments by performing scheduled inspections and integrating data from numerous sources.
• Using sophisticated computer and telecommunications equipment located along our pipeline system, we monitor our pipelines from our control centers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If a problem is detected, we take quick action to correct it.
• We conduct frequent ground or aerial surveys along our pipeline routes, looking for any excavation activity or ground discoloration that could indicate a leak.
• We also periodically reassess our maintenance and damage prevention activities, looking for opportunities to improve them.

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Interstate pipelines deliver over 12.9 billion barrels (542 billion gallons) of petroleum products each year. 

About 59% of the petroleum products transported by pipelines is crude oil (7.6 billion barrels) and the remainder (5.3 billion barrels) is in the form of refined petroleum products.* 

Crude oil is a raw material for making petroleum products.

Crude oil pipelines transport crude oil from onshore and offshore production wells and from coastal shipping terminals to refineries and chemical plants. At refineries, the oil is processed into refined products such as gasoline, heating fuel, diesel and oil feed stocks.  At chemical plants, the oil feed stocks are processed into resins, plastics, chemicals and agricultural products. These base products are then manufactured into hundreds of products used in and around your home.

The Second Part of the Journey

Pipelines also handle the second part of the transportation journey--transporting the refined products to regional and local distribution centers. At the distribution centers, the products are loaded on to tanker trucks for further transportation to airports, service stations and to your home.