Shipments for Shell Falcon Pipeline have arrived in Port of Philadelphia

The M/V Clipper Kamoshio arrived at PhilaPort’s Tioga Marine Terminal last month carrying 10,996 pipes for the Shell Falcon Pipeline in western Pennsylvania, the Port of Philadelphia said recently.

It took 10 days to discharge the cargo, which weighed 8.804 metric tons. Each day, 23 trucks head west carrying the cargo.

The Falcon Ethane Pipeline System will begin in southwestern Pennsylvania and continue down to West Virginia and eastern Ohio. The pipeline will consists of 97 miles of pipe. It will connect Marcellus and Utica shale deposits to a petrochemical plant that “cracks” or breaks apart ethane molecules to create ethylene and polyethylene.

“We are pleased that Shell chose Tioga to import pipes for the Falcon Pipeline,” Jeff Theobald, PhilaPort executive director and CEO, said. “It shows the Port of Philadelphia can serve western Pennsylvania’s cargo need. Tioga being such a robust multi-use facility makes the whole operation work perfectly.”

Shell is expected to hire 1,000 workers during the peak of construction. The pipeline is expected to be completed in Spring 2020.

“Worker, resident, and environmental safety is prioritized throughout the entire process”, Virginia Sanchez, external relations advisor for Shell Midstream Partners LLC, said.

Monitoring devices will be installed inside the pipes, and the pipelines will have shut-off valves every 7.5 miles. If any issues are suspected, Shell’s protocol is to shut off the pipeline immediately. Shell has also trained local first responders in all emergency protocols.