Island & Facilities
The Long Beach oil operation is split across two distinct areas: the Long Beach Unit, anchored by the four man-made THUMS Islands in the harbor, and the West Wilmington operation run by Tidelands Oil Production Company from sites in and around the Port.
The THUMS Islands
THUMS Long Beach Company, operated by California Resources Corporation (CRC) on behalf of the City, runs four man-made islands in Long Beach Harbor: Freeman, White, Chaffee, and Grissom. When CRC acquired THUMS in 2014, it kept the name, which is derived from the original consortium of operators: Texaco, Humble, Union, Mobil, and Shell.
The islands are designed to blend into the surrounding coastal environment. Drilling rigs and above-ground equipment are camouflaged and soundproofed. Wellheads and pipelines are located below ground level. THUMS has earned multiple design and engineering awards for combining industrial production with environmental sensitivity.
Tidelands operations
Tidelands Oil Production Company operates the West Wilmington Field for the City of Long Beach. Its wells and production facilities are located in and around the Port of Long Beach, across dozens of sites within the Harbor District. Tidelands has the distinction of being the only oil field in California operated entirely by union members, all through United Steelworkers Local 675.
Subsea pipelines
Oil and gas produced on the THUMS Islands travels to shore through miles of subsea pipeline. Production flows from Islands Chaffee and Freeman to Island White, combines there and moves to Island Grissom, then travels from Grissom to the Pier J onshore processing facility for final processing before sale. The pipeline system has been in operation since 1966 and is maintained under U.S. Department of Transportation regulations.
Power plant
The THUMS Islands host a gas turbine power plant, built in 2001, that runs on gas produced by the field itself. It supplies the majority of the electrical power needed to operate all island and onshore facilities, reducing the operation’s reliance on the external grid.
