Port of Corpus Christi's Cargo Boom Continues With Record Quarter

In June, the Port of Corpus Christi set a new all-time record record quarter and a record first half of the year, moving nearly 80.5 million tons of cargo in the first six months of the year.

The port’s first-half 2021 tonnage saw a five percent increase over the same period in 2020. The boost came from a soaring 72 percent year-over-year increase in LNG exports, a 42 percent year-over-year increase in agriculture commodities, and a 3.6 percent increase in crude oil exports.

The port's crude oil exports for the first half of 2021 averaged 1.6 million bpd, slightly above the 2020 full year rate. Overall, nearly 43 million tons of cargo moved through the Port of Corpus Christi in the second quarter, a two percent increase from the prior quarterly record, which was set in the last quarter of last year.

"As global economies continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing strong demand for energy-related products originating in Texas," said Sean Strawbridge, CEO for the Port of Corpus Christi. "The infrastructure investments the Port of Corpus Christi has made and continues to construct will undoubtedly make our existing customers more competitive and preserve the high level of investability for new customers in Texas."

This performance comes on the heels of a record-breaking 2020, when the Port of Corpus Christi saw a 31 percent increase in overall volumes and record revenues. The port also set records in 2019, when the completion of two new oil pipelines from the Permian Basin led to a crude oil export jump of about 27 percent.