2.2.5 Metering, storage and export
Most plants do not allow local gas storage, but oil is often stored before loading on a
vessel, such as a shuttle tanker taking the oil to a larger tanker terminal, or direct to
crude carrier. Offshore
production facilities
without a direct pipeline
connection generally
rely on crude storage in
the base or hull, to allow
a shuttle tanker to
offload about once a
week. A larger
production complex
generally has an
associated tank farm
terminal allowing the
storage of different
grades of crude to take
up changes in demand, delays in transport etc