Enterprise moves oil to U.S. gulf coast

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HOUSTON, June 8 (UPI) -- Deliveries from an oil pipeline from Texas will help producers in the Eagle Ford shale complex access refineries along the southern U.S. coast, a company said.

Enterprise Products Partners announced Phase I of its Eagle Ford crude oil system is accepting deliveries through a 147-mile pipeline.

The pipeline, the company said, has the capacity to carry 350,000 barrels of oil per day and gives producers in the Eagle Ford shale complex better access to refineries along the southern U.S. coast.

"Supported by long-term volume commitments from shippers, this extension of our integrated midstream network improves the ability of refineries to access reliable and secure supplies of domestic crude oil while facilitating continued development of the Eagle Ford shale," Enterprise Executive Vice President Jim Teague said in a statement.

Crude oil deliveries through the Seaway oil pipeline began moving in a southern direction for the first time this week in an effort to address a bottleneck at the trading hub in Cushing, Okla.

Enterprise and Canadian pipeline company Enbridge Inc. in November agreed to reverse the direction of the Seaway pipeline. The move is intended to reduce transportation costs and accelerate development of crude oil reserves in North America.