Plans have been announced to open a fourth ship dock at the Houston Fuel Oil Terminal (HOFTI) on the US Gulf coast.

The new dock is expected to relieve congestion at the terminal, according to Kevin Hickey, vice president of business development at HOFTI.

Loading delays at the fuel oil terminal have sometimes been blamed for barge congestion in the Houston bunker market.

Hickey told the Platts Bunker and Fuel Oil Conference in Houston that the new dock should be ready within the next 14 to 22 months and would be able to handle Suezmax tankers.

He said the fourth dock would  help reduce waiting  times. "Our docks are extremely busy, as any of our customers will tell you,"  Platts energy news service quoted him as saying.

Hickey also announced that HOFTI hoped to add 1.6 million barrels of storage capacity within the next 12 months, “All our tanks are leased, and we have a waiting list for tankage," he said.

Hickey was quoted as saying that HOFTI currently had 11.2 million barrels of storage capacity for residual fuel oil, crude, distillates and bunker fuel.