Port of Corpus Christi celebrates completion of $625m channel deepening project

Texas’s Port of Corpus Christi has celebrated a transformative moment in US maritime infrastructure with the near-completion of its channel improvement project (CIP), a decades-in-the-making initiative that deepens the ship channel to 54 feet (16.46m) mean lower low water (MLLW) and significantly enhances the nation’s energy export gateway.

One of the largest navigation infrastructure projects in US history has been jointly funded by Congress and the port itself, with essential contributions from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and private marine companies.

Conceived more than 30 years ago, the CIP was launched to accommodate the rapidly growing need for larger, more efficient vessels capable of transporting crude oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and other key commodities. The project deepens the Corpus Christi Ship Channel from 47 to 54 feet MLLW and widens it from 400 to 530 feet, supporting safe two-way vessel traffic. The CIP, with a total investment of $625m, officially broke ground in 2017.

Positioned near the prolific Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale, the Port of Corpus Christi is already recognised as the largest crude oil export gateway in the US and the third largest in the world, moving over 2.4m  barrels per day. It is also the second-largest US LNG export terminal and a key conduit for petrochemicals, refined products, and agricultural commodities.