Partnership Operations, Organization and Basis of Presentation (Details) bbl in Millions, ft³ in Billions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015 Segment mi bbl ft³	Dec. 31, 2014
Partnership Operations, Organization and Basis of Presentation [Abstract]
Number of miles of pipelines | mi	49,000
Number of barrels of storage capacity | bbl	250
Number of cubic feet of storage capacity | ft³	14
Number of reportable segments | Segment	5
Limited partners ownership interest (in hundredths)	100.00%
EPCO and affiliates [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Percentage of total units outstanding (in hundredths)	33.60%
Oiltanking Partners L.P. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Limited partner interests acquired (in hundredths)		65.90%