Port / transit hub
Four salt-cavern storage sites in Texas and Louisiana (Bryan Mound, Big Hill, West Hackberry, Bayou Choctaw). Authorized capacity ~714 million barrels.
Updated May 12, 2026 · View on the live map →
Four salt-cavern storage sites in Texas and Louisiana (Bryan Mound, Big Hill, West Hackberry, Bayou Choctaw). Authorized capacity ~714 million barrels. Maximum drawdown rate ~4.4 million bpd.
Created after the 1973 Arab oil embargo as insurance against supply shocks. The 2022 record sale of ~180 million barrels, in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, took inventory to a 40-year low. How full the reserve is — and how fast it can be drawn — sets how long the US can cushion a Hormuz-scale disruption.
The Department of Energy began moving 53.3 million barrels from the SPR under exchange contracts with nine companies (largest: Trafigura, Marathon, ExxonMobil), on top of the 172 million barrels ordered in March. Brent was above $105 at the time.
All 32 IEA members agreed a 400 million barrel collective stock release, the largest ever and the sixth in IEA history. The US announced a 172 million barrel contribution from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve and Japan about 80 million barrels. The IEA has called the disruption the largest in the history of the oil market.