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Major Customers And Credit Risk | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2011
Major Customers And Credit Risk [Abstract] |
Major Customers And Credit Risk | 16. Major Customers and Credit Risk Due to the nature of our supply and logistics operations, a disproportionate percentage of our trade receivables constitute obligations of oil companies. This industry concentration has the potential to impact our overall exposure to credit risk, either positively or negatively, in that our customers could be affected by similar changes in economic, industry or other conditions. However, we believe that the credit risk posed by this industry concentration is offset by the creditworthiness of our customer base. Our portfolio of accounts receivable is comprised in large part of integrated and large independent energy companies with stable payment experience. The credit risk related to contracts which are traded on the NYMEX is limited due to the daily cash settlement procedures and other NYMEX requirements. We have established various procedures to manage our credit exposure, including initial credit approvals, credit limits, collateral requirements and rights of offset. Letters of credit, prepayments and guarantees are also utilized to limit credit risk to ensure that our established credit criteria are met. During 2011, 2010 and 2009, our largest customer was Shell Oil Company, which accounted for 16%, 13% and 12.5% of total revenues respectively. The revenues from Shell Oil Company in all three years relate primarily to our supply and logistics operations.

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