The Port of Corpus Christi achieved its best quarter and best half-year tonnage in its 100-year history, moving a record 46.4 million tons in the 2nd Quarter of 2022 and 90.1 million tons for the first six months of the year. These new records eclipsed the prior record quarter by 4.8 percent and increased 11.9 percent from the previous half year record established in the first half of 2021. These tonnage records were driven primarily by increases in crude oil and refined products exports as well as liquefied natural gas exports and dry bulk imported cargoes.
“The Port of Corpus Christi continues to set new high water marks in performance as a result of our customers’ successes and the continued development of supporting transportation and energy infrastructure by the Port Authority,” said Sean Strawbridge, Chief Executive Officer for the Port of Corpus Christi. “As the Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project moves closer to completion (expected in 2023), the Port of Corpus Christi will have the deepest and widest ship channel in the entire U.S. Gulf Coast. This improved infrastructure will further reduce transportation costs for our customers and meet the increasing demand for energy across the globe.”
Crude oil shipments for 1H 2022 totaled 52.4 million tons, for a gain of more than 12 percent over the prior record set in the same period last year. Refined products amounted to 15.8 million tons, an increase of 26.6 percent from 1H 2021. Dry bulk cargo came in at 3.9 million tons – 21.5 percent above the first half of 2021, and LNG shipments increased by 11 percent to 8.1 million tons. These record-breaking figures come shortly after the Port announced its best first four months ever, setting new tonnage and revenue records again, after a banner year in 2021.
“These numbers are a testament to the role the Port of Corpus Christi and its industry partners play in the global marketplace, providing certainty in uncertain times,” said Charles W. Zahn Jr., Port of Corpus Christi Commission Chairman. “With additional developing initiatives in hydrogen production and Carbon Capture Utilization and Sequestration (CCUS), the future continues to look bright for the South Texas Coastal Bend and the great State of Texas.”