Editor’s note (March 2026): NorthStar Midstream is no longer in operation. Its Bakken assets were acquired by Bayou Midstream. This article records the company’s history and the details of that transaction.
NorthStar Midstream was a Houston-area midstream company that operated crude oil pipelines, storage terminals, and transloading infrastructure across North American shale plays. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, NorthStar Midstream built a focused asset base in the western Bakken before its affiliates were acquired by a Bayou Midstream affiliate. The company’s assets — including 660,000 barrels of crude storage and a 23-mile pipeline with DAPL connectivity — were transferred to Bayou Midstream as part of the deal.
What NorthStar Midstream Operated
Originally incorporated as NorthStar Transloading, the company rebranded and expanded into a broader midstream platform backed by private equity. Its core business covered crude oil storage, transloading, and transportation services across North American shale plays, with particular concentration in McKenzie County, North Dakota.
NorthStar Midstream also operated in natural gas liquefaction, bunkering, and marine loading through its subsidiary Seaside LNG, founded in 2022 and based in Spring, Texas. In September 2018, the company entered a joint venture with Jax LNG, extending its LNG services reach. A 21-mile natural gas transmission pipeline, acquired in May 2016, rounded out the portfolio.
At its peak, NorthStar Midstream employed 23 people and had completed three financing rounds with two recorded investments. Its infrastructure sat at the intersection of Bakken crude gathering and the expanding shale production base that drove midstream demand across the Williston Basin throughout the 2010s.
The Bayou Midstream Acquisition
A Bayou Midstream affiliate acquired the NorthStar Midstream affiliates holding assets in McKenzie County, North Dakota. The transaction transferred a defined set of Bakken infrastructure assets to Bayou’s expanding western Bakken platform.
Assets acquired included a 23-mile crude oil pipeline providing market access through connectivity to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL); 660,000 barrels of crude oil storage across the Alexander and East Fairview terminals; rail connectivity; and a high-speed frac sand transloading terminal with 22,500 tons of silo storage capacity.
Bayou Midstream CEO Travis Roby commented at the time: “The NorthStar assets are a natural fit with our existing Bakken footprint and accelerate our ability to serve producers in the region with reliable crude takeaway and storage solutions.” EIV Capital partner Greg Davis added: “This acquisition strengthens Bayou’s position as a leading crude gatherer in the western Bakken and complements the infrastructure we are building to connect Richland County into our network.”
At the time of the acquisition, Bayou Midstream was constructing its Fairview Connector pipeline, linking Richland County, Montana to East Fairview, North Dakota, with an anticipated in-service date of Q4 2022. The deal also included an expanded long-term acreage dedication with Kraken Oil & Gas for crude oil gathering in Richland County, MT — extending Bayou’s gathering commitments beyond the NorthStar footprint. This kind of crude pipeline consolidation mirrors broader M&A activity across North American midstream infrastructure as operators rationalised Bakken assets during the mid-cycle.
NorthStar Midstream: Current Status
NorthStar Midstream is out of business. Following the asset transfer to Bayou Midstream, the company wound down operations. The website northstarmidstream.com is no longer active, and no successor entity operates under the NorthStar Midstream name.
The company had 23 employees at the time of wind-down. No public statements were made regarding the reasons for closure beyond the asset sale to Bayou Midstream. The transaction represented a full exit from the Bakken for the NorthStar entity, with all material infrastructure transferred to the acquiring affiliate.
The NorthStar Midstream case sits within a broader pattern of mid-scale Bakken midstream operators that built focused asset bases during the shale build-out phase and subsequently sold to larger platforms. The pipeline sector consolidation cycle of the late 2010s and early 2020s saw numerous similar transactions as producers sought more capitalised counterparties for long-term gathering commitments.
About Bayou Midstream
Bayou Midstream is a private midstream company backed by EIV Capital, active in crude oil gathering and transportation in the western Bakken. Following the NorthStar asset acquisition, Bayou operates crude gathering infrastructure across McKenzie County, North Dakota and Richland County, Montana, with DAPL connectivity providing market access for producer customers. For current midstream services in the region, contact Bayou Midstream directly.
[RESEARCH FLAG: Bayou Midstream’s website should be verified for any 2024–2026 developments — ownership changes, expansions, or further acquisitions — before this article is published. EIV Capital portfolio pages are the recommended secondary check.]
What happened to NorthStar Midstream?
NorthStar Midstream ceased operations after a Bayou Midstream affiliate acquired its Bakken assets in McKenzie County, North Dakota. The transaction transferred a 23-mile crude pipeline, 660,000 barrels of storage, rail connectivity, and a frac sand transloading terminal to Bayou Midstream. The NorthStar entity subsequently wound down, and its website is no longer active.
Who acquired NorthStar Midstream’s assets?
A Bayou Midstream affiliate acquired the NorthStar Midstream affiliates holding Bakken assets. Bayou Midstream is a private midstream operator backed by EIV Capital, focused on crude gathering and transportation in the western Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana.
What assets did NorthStar Midstream operate in the Bakken?
NorthStar Midstream operated a 23-mile crude oil pipeline with DAPL connectivity, 660,000 barrels of crude storage across Alexander and East Fairview terminals in McKenzie County, North Dakota, rail connectivity, and a high-speed frac sand transloading terminal with 22,500 tons of silo storage. The company also held a 21-mile natural gas transmission pipeline acquired in 2016.
What is Bayou Midstream and where does it operate?
Bayou Midstream is a private midstream company backed by EIV Capital, operating crude oil gathering and transportation infrastructure in the western Bakken. Its footprint covers McKenzie County, North Dakota and Richland County, Montana, with access to the Dakota Access Pipeline for market connectivity. At the time of the NorthStar acquisition, Bayou was constructing the Fairview Connector pipeline between Richland County, MT and East Fairview, ND.
When was NorthStar Midstream founded and when did it cease operations?
NorthStar Midstream was founded in 2013 in The Woodlands, Texas, originally under the name NorthStar Transloading. The company wound down following the transfer of its Bakken assets to a Bayou Midstream affiliate. The exact closing date has not been publicly confirmed, but the company employed 23 people at the time of wind-down and completed three financing rounds during its operating life.