Feature, Freight News, Sea

Port of Corpus Christi Posts 3Q Record

[ October 18, 2024   //   Gary G Burrows ]

The Port of Corpus Christi and its customers moved record-high 53 million tons through the Corpus Christi Ship Channel in the third quarter of 2024, driven by increases in crude oil and dry bulk movements.
The third quarter total was a 2 percent increase from the same period last year, which was the prior highest quarter in the port’s history. The port saw a 3 percent increase in crude oil shipments to 33.5 million tons through the port’s infrastructure and customer facilities. There were also modest increases in volumes for refined products, liquefied natural gas and dry bulk goods.
Year to date, port customers have moved 152.5 million tons of commodities through the waterway, slightly ahead of the same period in the prior year. Higher volumes of crude oil have been moved in the first nine months of the current year, with port customers moving 2.4 million barrels per day this year to date, compared to 2.3 million barrels per day in the same period of 2023. In addition, customers have moved more agricultural products this year; those gains have been somewhat offset by fewer movements of refined products.
“After a slightly slower start to the year compared with the record-breaking way our customers ended 2023, we’re pleased to see the tremendous pickup in volume through the gateway in the third quarter of 2024,” said Kent Britton, CEO for the Port of Christi. “Through continued investment in our maritime infrastructure, the Port of Corpus Christi and its strong customer base remain well-positioned for future growth.”

Dredging Advances

For example, the fourth and final phase of Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project is on track for completion in early 2025.
With construction starting in 2017, the project is increasing the channel depth to 54 feet and the width to 530 feet, with additional barge shelves also being constructed.
The nearly US$6816 million project was funded by the port, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and a final tranche US$157.3 million from Congress in the Consolidated Appropriations in 2023.
The project yielded more than 40 million cubic yards of dredge material that will be used to build beneficial us sites for wildlife and erosion control.

The Corpus Christi Ship Channel had been dredged to a depth of 25 feet and a width of 200 feet when the port opened in 1926 and has been expanded several times since.

Tags: Port of Corpus Christi