Page 45: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Mar/Apr 2026)

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• Crude oil shipments fell 2.3% to 127.4 million tons provement project is the kind of infrastructure work that’s • Dry bulk declined 2.5% easy to summarize and hard to execute: • Agricultural goods fell 54% • Depth increased from 47 feet to 54 feet (MLLW)

In Q4 2025, Port customers moved 50.1 million tons, • Width expanded from 400 feet to 530 feet compared with 54.0 million tons in Q4 2024 (a record • Barge shelves added for safety and traffc management quarter). Leading commodities were crude, refned prod- USACE and the Port marked completion in mid-2025. ucts, and LNG. Britton puts the project in historical context: other than

Britton’s “behind the numbers” explanation is rooted the original opening of the Port, it’s the most important in the post-2015 U.S. crude export era: the export ban capital program the channel has ever seen. And the ben- was lifted, shale production expanded, and pipelines con- efts aren’t theoretical; they show up in cargo economics, verged on Corpus Christi. That surge matured into the vessel loading, and reduced friction in daily operations.

2019–2020 period when major crude pipelines arrived With 54 feet, customers can more fully load larger tank- and positioned the gateway for scale. ers. Britton explained that the Port can now fully load

In the last three years, he characterizes growth as rela- Suezmax-class tankers and more fully load VLCCs — still tively fat—up slightly, up slightly, then down slightly— not to absolute maximum, but materially higher — reduc- driven mostly by crude export variability rather than a ing the need for ineffcient workarounds and improving change in the Port’s underlying capability. the competitiveness of the gateway.

Meanwhile, the LNG runway is clearer. The Port’s LNG The channel isn’t just deeper, it’s more effcient. Brit- story is closely linked to existing and expanding liquefac- ton points to a telling indicator: more crude moved with tion capacity, and Port-reported data show LNG tonnage fewer ships, refecting improved transit fuidity and less rising meaningfully year over year in 2025. congestion.

And with capability comes optionality. With improved navigation infrastructure, the Port can credibly evaluate “THE BIGGEST THING WE’VE EVER DONE”

If you want to understand why Corpus Christi is posi- cargo and vessel classes that previously sat outside its sweet tioned for the next cycle—whatever oil markets do next— spot — container services, cruise calls, and additional in- start with dredging, width, and geometry. The channel im- dustrial fows — while still being anchored in energy.

MARCH/APRIL 2026 OFFSHORE ENGINEER 45