Port of Corpus Christi

Last updated
The Port of Corpus Christi
Location
Country United States
LocationPort of Corpus Christi, Texas
Coordinates 27°48′46″N97°24′26″W / 27.81278°N 97.40722°W / 27.81278; -97.40722
UN/LOCODE USCRP [1]
Details
OpenedSeptember 14, 1926
Draft depth Channel depth 45 feet (14 m) (54 feet (16 m) proposed)
Chief Executive OfficerKent Britton
Statistics
Website
portofcc.com

The Port of Corpus Christi is the largest port in the United States in total revenue tonnage, [2] third largest in total waterway tonnage, and the largest crude oil export gateway in the nation. [3] The Port of Corpus Christi is located on Corpus Christi Bay in the western Gulf of Mexico, with a 36-mile channel that is being widened and deepened to 54 feet MLLW from its current depth of 45 feet. [4]

Contents

The Port of Corpus Christi’s headquarters, the Executive Administration Building, is located near the entrance the Inner Harbor (adjacent to Downtown Corpus Christi) in Nueces County. The Port operates as an independent subdivision of the State of Texas and is governed by state Navigation Code. [5] The Port of Corpus Christi’s operations are funded without any city, county or state tax dollars.

Government

The Port of Corpus Christi is governed by a seven-member Port Commission. [6] Three port commissioners are appointed by the Nueces County Commissioners Court, three by the City of Corpus Christi and one by the San Patricio County Commissioners Court. The first port commission was appointed in 1923 with three members. They were Robert Driscoll (chairman), John W. Kellam of Robstown and W.W. Jones. In 1973, a special act of the legislature increased the number of commissioners to five, and in 1983, another special act of the legislature increased the number to seven. [7] Environmental initiatives are handled through the Port of Corpus Christi’s Environmental Management System (EMS), while the Port of Corpus Christi Police Department oversees public safety and security within the Port’s footprint.

History

Corpus Christi Harbor as seen from the Harbor Bridge circa 1993-1997 CC harbor.jpg
Corpus Christi Harbor as seen from the Harbor Bridge circa 1993–1997

The devastating Corpus Christi 1919 hurricane is ultimately what led to the creation of the Port of Corpus Christi. The storm left Corpus Christi heavily damaged, killing 280 and injuring thousands more on September 14, 1919. It also left buildings and homes in ruins. But its positioning on the cliffs where the city rested spared Corpus Christi from being entirely wiped out.

As the recovery from the 1919 hurricane began, efforts to establish a deep water port in Corpus Christi against the very high land that protected the city from full devastation started in earnest. Roy Miller – then-editor of the Corpus Christi Caller and future mayor of Corpus Christi – began the call for the establishment of a safe harbor in the city.

Three years later, after the voters in Nueces County gave their approval for the formation of Nueces County Navigation District No. 1, work began to build out the necessary infrastructure for the new port in Corpus Christi. The federal government allocated $5.1 million for the work, which paid for:

A statewide celebration was held in 1926 to officially open the Port of Corpus Christi for business. The first commodity to leave the Port was cotton from Aransas Compress Company. Ten years after the Port of Corpus Christi officially opened for operations, oil overtook cotton as the primary commodity moving through the gateway. By that time, the Port’s channel had been deepened to 32 feet to accommodate the growth in cargo volumes seen over that decade.

A new industrial canal, nearly two miles in length, and turning basin had been constructed a few years prior to accommodate the Port’s first industrial customer – Southern Alkali Corporation – in the first instance of lengthening the channel toward the west. And new lighting had been installed across the entire ship channel to adequately facilitate night navigation by vessels.

In subsequent years, the channel would see additional, incremental improvements to its depth and width, while the Port of Corpus Christi also continued its expansion westward. It added a new turning basin near Tule Lake, then another stretch of channel to what would become the Viola Turning Basin.

The Corpus Christi Ship Channel’s current depth of 45 feet was completed in 1990, 22 years after the project was authorized by Congress in 1968. Shortly after the 45-froot dredging project was finished, Congress gave authorization to further study improvements to the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, including the extension and deepening of the La Quinta Channel Extension. That work was authorized in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 and completed in 2013. As part of that 2007 authorization, Congress also set the new proposed depth of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel to 54 feet Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW).

The Port of Corpus Christi and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers entered into a Project Partnership Agreement on September 9, 2017 for construction of the main channel (widening and deepening), as well as new barge lanes. [8] The Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project, once completed in 2023, will widen the channel to 530 feet and deepen it to 54 feet MLLW.

Cargo

The Port of Corpus Christi in 2021 handled 6,843 vessels and over 167 million tons of cargo, the latter of which was a new monthly record in the Port’s history. [9] The Port of Corpus Christi is the nation’s leading export gateway for crude oil and No. 2 gateway for exports of liquefied natural gas. The first export of crude oil to be shipped from the United States following the lifting of a federal ban on American crude in 2015 was from the Port of Corpus Christi.

That shipment was aboard the Theo T tanker, which carried crude oil overseas from NuStar Energy LP’s dockside facility in the Port of Corpus Christi. [10] The Port of Corpus Christi, as of August 2022, holds roughly 60 percent of the U.S. crude oil market share. [11]

In 2021, the top 5 commodities for the Port of Corpus Christi were: [12]

RankCommodityTonnage
1Crude Oil97,147,132 tons
2Petroleum56,481,127 tons
3Liquefied Natural Gas15,677,178 tons
4Dry Bulk7,079,607 tons
5Fuel Oil6,507,809 tons

Environmental

The Port of Corpus Christi was the first port in Texas to achieve Green Marine certification in November 2016. [13] It has since worked to maintain and expand its Green Marine certification at increasing levels annually, obtaining Level 5 in four different program areas, a Level 4 in two program areas, and a Level 3 in two program areas in 2021. It is pursuing Level 5 for eight of ten program areas by the year 2023. [14]

The Port of Corpus Christi has voluntarily purchased electricity from 100% renewable sources since 2017 and has also been an Environmental Protection Agency Green Power Partner since 2021. [15]

Since 2006, the Port of Corpus Christi has recycled a variety of materials, including: 1,266,122 pounds of paper, cardboard, and metal; 65,319 gallons of used oil and anti-freeze; and 18,188 electronic components and light bulbs. [16]

The Port of Corpus Christi has been a strong supporter during the conversion of the Coastal Bend Air Quality Partnership (CBAQP) by contributing $270,000 over the next three years ($90,000 annually) [17] in addition to other in-kind services like legal and office space. The Port of Corpus Christi also provided technical assistance with developing and implementing the CBAQP Strategic Plan, which includes development of an action plan to maintain and improve air quality in the region.

Other contributions by the Port of Corpus Christi include contributing $125,000 annually to the Texas A&M-Pollution Prevention Partnership for operation of the AutoCheck Program and other related outreach; contributing $165,000 annually to the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program for implementation of the Bays Plan; and undertaking an effort in partnership with Ducks Unlimited to identify, prioritize, permit and design beneficial reuse opportunities for dredge material.

Additionally, the Port of Corpus Christi is maintaining a trash skimming device in the Salt Flats Ditch to collect and monitor trash in rain runoff from urbanized areas that otherwise would have gone into Corpus Christi Bay. The trash skimmer was funded through an EPA Trash Free Waterways grant, with the program also including a trash awareness campaign to eliminate sources of trash in the runoff. [18]

The Port of Corpus Christi is also campaigning to raise awareness and reduce litter at its Harbor Island property in cooperation with several local entities, including the City of Aransas Pass Code Enforcement and CBBEP Up2U campaign (also an EPA Trash Free Waterways funded project).

The Port of Corpus Christi is initiating a pilot program at its Avery Point Dock complex through a $1 million grant received in 2021 from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to identify emission control strategies for vessels at berth.

The Port of Corpus Christi is also in the midst of implementing a Clean Fleet Program to convert its vehicular fleet to electric/alternative fuels by 2023, as well as committing $2.5 million for construction of the Texas State Aquarium’s new Port of Corpus Christi Center for Wildlife Rescue. The Texas State Aquarium also pulls water for its exhibit directly from Corpus Christi Bay, a testament to the water quality the Port of Corpus Christi has long worked proactively to protect. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nueces County, Texas</span> County in Texas, United States

Nueces County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 353,178, making it the 16th-most populous county in the state. The county seat is Corpus Christi. The county was formed in 1846 from portions of San Patricio County and organized the following year. It is named for the Nueces River, which marks the county's northwestern boundary with San Patricio County before emptying into its mouth at Nueces Bay north of the port of Corpus Christi. Nueces County is part of the Corpus Christi metropolitan statistical area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Aransas, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Port Aransas is a city in Nueces County, Texas, United States. This city is 180 miles southeast of San Antonio. The population was 2,904 at the 2020 census. Port Aransas is the only established town on Mustang Island. It is located north of Padre Island and is one of the longest barrier islands along the Texas coast. Corpus Christi Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, the Lydia Ann Ship Channel, and the Corpus Christi Ship Channel make up the surrounding waters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corpus Christi, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio Counties. It is 130 miles (210 km) southeast of San Antonio. Its political boundaries encompass Nueces Bay and Corpus Christi Bay. Its zoned boundaries include small land parcels or water inlets of three neighboring counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 181</span> Highway in Texas, United States

U.S. Highway 181 is a south–north U.S. Highway located entirely in the state of Texas. Both termini are at Interstate 37, the road that it mainly parallels to the east. US 181 begins in Corpus Christi, Texas at mile marker 0 to the south, through south-central Texas to just south of San Antonio to the north, for a total length of 137 miles (220 km).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Celia</span> Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 1970

Hurricane Celia was the costliest tropical cyclone in Texas history until Hurricane Alicia in 1983. The third named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 1970 Atlantic hurricane season, Celia developed from a tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on July 31. Initially, the depression tracked north-northwestward without significantly strengthening, and crossed over western Cuba on August 1. Heavy rains on the island caused severe flooding, leading to five fatalities. The depression entered the Gulf of Mexico and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Celia later on August 1. Due to warm sea surface temperatures, Celia rapidly intensified into a major hurricane on August 1 and after the creation of the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale in 1971 it was estimated to have been a Category 3 storm. Storm surge and swells lashed the west coast of Florida, especially the Panhandle, causing eight people to drown. Early on August 2, Celia began to weaken. However, the storm underwent rapid deepening again and peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) on August 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aransas Pass</span>

Aransas Pass is a navigable salt water channel connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Aransas Bay on the Texas Gulf coast in the United States. The pass separates Mustang Island to the south from San José Island to the north, and is protected by jetties extending into the Gulf from both islands. At the eastern end of the pass is the town of Port Aransas, located at the far northern end of Mustang Island. At the western end of the pass, on the mainland side of Aransas Bay, is the town of Aransas Pass. A free ferry serves the two towns. The pass is located on the Aransas County and Nueces County line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Beaumont</span> Port in United States

The Port of Beaumont is a deep-water port located in Beaumont, Texas near the mouth of the Neches River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corpus Christi Bay</span> Estuary bay on the Texas coast

Corpus Christi Bay is a scenic semi-tropical bay on the Texas coast found in San Patricio and Nueces counties, next to the major city of Corpus Christi. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Mustang Island, and is fed by the Nueces River and Oso Creek from its western and southern extensions, Nueces Bay and Oso Bay. The bay is located approximately 136 miles (219 km) south of San Antonio, and 179 miles (288 km) southwest of Houston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KIII</span> ABC affiliate in Corpus Christi, Texas

KIII is a television station in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on South Padre Island Drive in Corpus Christi, and its transmitter is located near Robstown, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bullwinkle (oil platform)</span> Pile-supported fixed steel oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico

Bullwinkle was a 1,736 feet (529 m) tall, pile-supported fixed steel oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Installed in 1988, the total weight of the platform was 77,000 tons, of which the steel jacket comprises 49,375 tones. At the time of its construction it was the third tallest freestanding structure ever built – shorter than only the CN Tower and the Ostankino Tower – and the tallest in the United States, being 6 ft (1.8 m) taller than the pinnacle of the Sears Tower. Of the total height, 1,352 feet (412 m) are below the waterline. It was located in Green Canyon Block 65, approximately 160 miles (260 km) southwest of New Orleans. Bullwinkle belongs to Fieldwood Energy LLC. The total field development construction cost was US$500,000,000 according to some sources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas State Highway 361</span>

State Highway 361 is a state highway in San Patricio and Nueces counties that runs from Gregory in southern Texas, near Corpus Christi, east and south to Padre Island on the Gulf of Mexico coast.

Old Bayview Cemetery is a cemetery located on a small hill in downtown Corpus Christi, Texas on Ramirez St. at Padre St., bordered by the I-37 access road. It is the oldest federal military cemetery in Texas. Owned by the City of Corpus Christi, it presently comprises three and a half acres as a Historic Texas Cemetery and a State Archaeological Landmark of the Texas Historical Commission. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge</span> Bridge in Corpus Christi, Texas

The Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge is a through arch bridge located in Corpus Christi, Texas which carries six lanes of U.S. Route 181 (US 181) and Texas State Highway 35 (SH 35) from downtown Corpus Christi to Rincon Point, known to locals as North Beach. The harbor bridge crosses the Corpus Christi Ship Channel and handles nearly 26,000 vehicles daily. A new bridge called the New Harbor Bridge is currently under construction. When complete it will allow larger ships to pass beneath, permit safer pedestrian transit, and reconfigure the entire highway interchange system in the surrounding community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nueces Bay</span> Bay in Texas, United States

Nueces Bay is a northwestern extension of Corpus Christi Bay in the San Patricio and Nueces Counties of Texas. The bay is fed by the Nueces River, forming a natural estuary, which renders it ecologically and economically vital to the surrounding area. It serves as a habitat for the propagation of fish and shellfish, which sustain diverse species of birds and other wildlife. The bay is threatened by pollution from the heavy industry on its southern shore, which prevents oyster farming. Petrochemical production and oil are important to the surrounding economies of the major settlements of Corpus Christi and Portland, found on the eastern shore and connected by the Nueces Bay Causeway at the bay's confluence with Corpus Christi Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Corpus Christi, Texas</span>

Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The population was 277,454 at the 2000 census; in 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 285,175, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the three-county Corpus Christi Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger Corpus Christi-Kingsville Combined Statistical Area. The translation from Latin of the city's name is Body of Christ, given to the settlement by the Spanish, in honor of the Blessed Sacrament (Eucharist). The city has been nicknamed The Sparkling City by the Sea, or "Corpitos" particularly in literature promoting tourism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redfish Bay</span> Bay

Redfish Bay is a southwestern extension of Aransas Bay in Texas, north of Corpus Christi Bay. It separates the cities of Aransas Pass and Ingleside from Port Aransas on Mustang Island.

Port Freeport is the smallest (geographically) deep-water seaport along the U.S Gulf Coast. Located in Freeport, Texas . It has rail access, represents both private and public facilities. It is ranked 10th in the nation for chemicals, 19th in the nation for total tonnage, 26th in the nation for container traffic, handles over 100,000 vehicles per year and has more than 1,000 ships per year. Forbes magazine (2017) ranked Port Freeport as one of the top 10 fastest growing seaports for exports in the U.S.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Corpus Christi, Texas, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effects of the 1919 Florida Keys hurricane in Texas</span>

The effects of the 1919 Florida Keys hurricane in Texas were the deadliest of any tropical cyclone in the Texas Coastal Bend, killing at least 284 people. The hurricane produced a widespread swath of devastation across the region, exacerbated by the large extent of its winds. The city of Corpus Christi bore the brunt of the hurricane's impacts, contributing to the largest portion of the damage toll in Texas; nearly all of the confirmed fatalities were residents of the city. The storm originated from the Leeward Islands early in September 1919 and took a generally west-northwestward course, devastating the Florida Keys en route to the Gulf of Mexico. On the afternoon of September 14, the center of the hurricane made landfall upon the Texas coast at Baffin Bay. The storm's winds were estimated at 115 mph (185 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. After slowly moving ashore, it weakened and straddled the Rio Grande before dissipating on September 16 over West Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estuaries of Texas</span> Estuaries on the Gulf coast of Texas

The U.S. state of Texas has a series of estuaries along its coast on the Gulf of Mexico, most of them bounded by the Texas barrier islands. Estuaries are coastal bodies of water in which freshwater from rivers mixes with saltwater from the sea. Twenty-one drainage basins terminate along the Texas coastline, forming a chain of seven major and five minor estuaries: listed from southwest to northeast, these are the Rio Grande Estuary, Laguna Madre, the Nueces Estuary, the Mission–Aransas Estuary, the Guadalupe Estuary, the Colorado–Lavaca Estuary, East Matagorda Bay, the San Bernard River and Cedar Lakes Estuary, the Brazos River Estuary, Christmas Bay, the Trinity–San Jacinto Estuary, and the Sabine–Neches Estuary. Each estuary is named for its one or two chief contributing rivers, excepting Laguna Madre, East Matagorda Bay, and Christmas Bay, which have no major river sources. The estuaries are also sometimes referred to by the names of their respective primary or central water bodies, though each also includes smaller secondary bays, inlets, or other marginal water bodies.

References

  1. "UNLOCODE (US) - UNITED STATES". service.unece.org. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  2. "Port of Corpus Christi sets new tonnage record for 2021". kiiitv.com. July 20, 2021. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  3. Carr, Housley (2022-09-11). "Can't You See - Big Changes Happening Below the Surface in U.S. Crude Export Markets". rbnenergy.com. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  4. Rogers, Chase. "Corps of Engineers proposes $157 million to finish port's ship channel improvement project". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  5. "SPECIAL DISTRICT LOCAL LAWS CODE CHAPTER 5016. PORT OF CORPUS CHRISTI AUTHORITY OF NUECES COUNTY, TEXAS". statutes.capitol.texas.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  6. Communications, PortCC. "Commission". Port of Corpus Christi. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  7. M. Harvey Weil; Port Staff (January 1998). "The History of the Port of Corpus Christi: 1926-2001". Port Corpus Christi. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  8. Acosta, Tim. "Port of Corpus Christi finalizes milestone agreement for ship channel expansion". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  9. "Corpus Christi Port Handles Record Tonnage In 2021". The Waterways Journal. 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  10. September 2017 1, R. G. Ratcliffe (2017-08-23). "The Port of Corpus Christi's Boom". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  11. Blum, Jordan (2022-01-26). "US crude exports expected to see modest rise in 2022". www.spglobal.com. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  12. "Port of Corpus Christi Authority Monthly Cargo Tonnage by Commodity Summary Report for December 2021"
  13. "Port Corpus Christi becomes first Texan port to join Green Marine". Alliance verte — Green Marine. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  14. "Port of Corpus Christi Authority Green Marine 2021 Verification," August 16, 2022 presentation to Port of Corpus Christi Commission.
  15. US EPA, OAR (2016-02-03). "Meet Our Partners". www.epa.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  16. Port of Corpus Christi Authority of Nueces County, Texas
  17. "Nonprofit tasked with overseeing air emissions in Coastal Bend hires executive director". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  18. US EPA, OA (2020-09-16). "EPA Recognizes Projects That Reduce Trash on Texas Coast; Three Groups Receive Nearly $1.4 Million". www.epa.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  19. "Texas State Aquarium Announces Funding Milestone and Groundbreaking Date for "Port of Corpus Christi Center for Wildlife Rescue at the Texas State Aquarium"". Texas State Aquarium. 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2022-09-29.