While crude deliveries by larger ships to Beaumont in Texas remain restricted after Hurricane Harvey, a workaround using pipelines can supply Exxon Mobil’s refinery there, shipping sources said. Beaumont’s port has been closed to ship traffic over 26 feet (8 meters) since Sept. 9 by the U.S. Coast Guard, because of shoaling – sediment or sand that washes up on the bottom of the waterway and hampers shipping traffic. Exxon has other options for receiving crude, as nearby discharge points at Port Arthur and Nederland are still available, and pipes can bring crude up to the refinery. Exxon, however, tends to export refined products direct from the Beaumont port dock, said Brian Hass, operations manager for shipping broker Host Agency in Beaumont. Exxon Mobil’s facility can refine 362,000 barrels of crude a day. Brent Rahe, Coast Guard vessel traffic supervisor at Port Arthur, said there’s […]