Page 22: of Marine News Magazine (May 2026)

21 23

Ports

Port of Corpus Christi “We’re the third largest crude oil export port in the world, and we’re the leading crude oil export port in the United States. 60% of the crude oil that gets exported out of the United States ? ows out of the

Port of Corpus Christi; that’s about 2.3 million barrels per day.” – Kent Britton,

CEO of the Port of Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi where he served as CFO at Sherwin Alumi- number, considering the scale of cargo value moving na, a plant with deep roots in the region’s heavy industry. through the channel every day.

In other words: Britton arrived as a customer. He under- And the economic gravity extends well beyond the Port’s stood how industrial operators think about costs, reliabil- payroll. Texas Comptroller reporting has highlighted the ity, and throughput — how a few hours saved on a berth Port of Corpus Christi’s role in statewide trade and eco- window can ripple across a re? nery schedule, a pipeline nomic activity, including the Port’s substantial share of nomination, or a charter party. Texas seaport trade value.

He joined the Port of Corpus Christi in 2017 as direc- Britton’s framing goes one step further: this isn’t only an tor of ? nance — right before Hurricane Harvey — be- economic story.

came CFO in 2019, and moved into the CEO role about “It’s not just an economic driver,” he said. “Think about two and a half years ago. His leadership style re? ects that the energy that we’re supplying around the world… almost “customer-led” view of port investment: don’t build shiny exclusively to our allies and trading partners… It’s a matter things to admire; build what improves ef? ciency and com- of national security as well.” petitiveness for the companies actually moving product.

2025 Volumes: A Slight Dip—Driven by Crude

POCC: Punching Above Its Weight The Port’s 2025 tonnage of 203.4 million tons came

When Britton talks to locals, he leads with a statistic in slightly below 2024, and Britton doesn’t sugarcoat how that’s hard to ignore: Corpus Christi is now one of the much the crude number drives the narrative. When crude world’s major crude export gateways. The Port has been is the dominant commodity, even small percentage moves widely cited as the largest U.S. crude oil export gateway and can swing the whole annual result.

among the top crude export ports globally, moving roughly Here’s what the Port reported for 2025: 2.3 million barrels per day in crude exports in recent years. • Lique? ed natural gas exports rose 15.4% to 18.6

The tonnage story is equally striking. Over roughly a de- million tons cade, Corpus Christi’s throughput has climbed from about • Crude oil shipments fell 2.3% to 127.4 million tons 85 million tons to more than 200 million tons, driven • Dry bulk declined 2.5% largely by crude oil exports and supporting energy ? ows. • Agricultural goods fell 54%

Yet the Port authority itself remains relatively lean. Brit- In Q4 2025, Port customers moved 50.1 million tons, ton puts headcount around 270 employees — a small compared with 54.0 million tons in Q4 2024 (a record 22 | MN May 2026