The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (Marad) has issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for Texas Gulflink LLC (TGL), granting Sentinel Midstream LLC, the authorization to construct and operate a deepwater port for the export of domestically produced crude oil. DOT made the announcement on Feb. 14 and said the decision aligns with President Donald Trump’s Unleashing American Energy Executive Order, which he signed on Jan. 20.
The deepwater port is planned to be located approximately 26.6 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County, Texas. The project also includes a shoreside support facility at an operational commercial site within Freeport Harbor and the use of dock space at the Port Freeport public docks, Freeport, Texas.
“With this approval, we are increasing our energy revenue and unlocking our vast oil resources—not just for domestic security, but to dominate the global market,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement. “This plan opens the floodgates for American oil exports, putting our producers in the driver’s seat and ensuring that the world looks to the United States—not foreign adversaries—for energy supply.”
Marad and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) first received an application from TGL in May 2019, for a license to construct, own, and operate the deepwater port. The agencies, in coordination with other federal entities, completed a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), which was published on July 5, 2024. DOT said Marad reviewed and addressed substantive public comments on the FEIS before issuing the ROD.
According to DOT, the approval was guided by the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, which outlines nine statutory requirements for deepwater port projects. The official ROD document can be viewed here.
The statement also said the Texas Gulflink project will enhance U.S. energy exports, providing new infrastructure for crude oil shipments and strengthening American energy security in the global market.
