Port of Corpus Christi ends year with record tonnage

Photo: Port of Corpus Christi PORT OF CORPUS CHRISTI-LR-PNG.png
The Port of Corpus Christi ended 2021 with record tonnage, mainly from an 81.2 % increase from 2020 in shipments of LNG.

Meanwhile crude oil exports averaged a record 1.76m barrels per day in 2021, a slight increase over its 2020 record performance.

The Port of Corpus Christi’s new annual tonnage record of 167.3m tonnes is a 4.7% increase over 2020.

LNG exports fuelled much of the growth, reaching 15.7m tonnes as the global energy markets continue to recover from the demand destruction wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic last year.

In addition, the Port of Corpus Christi saw increases in break bulk cargo such as wind energy components, natural gas liquids, as well as refined products such as diesel and motor gasoline. The best quarter, Q4-2021, reached 44.3m tonnes, besting the prior record from Q2-2021, and setting a new high for the second half of the year.

The port hit an all-time high for crude oil exports in December, exceeding 60  barrels in a month for the first time in its 100-year history.  For the year, the Port of Corpus Christi’s 1.76m bpd of crude oil exports saw an increase of approximately 100,000 barrels per day over its 2020 record high.

The Port of Corpus Christi accounted for roughly 58% of all crude oil exports in 2021, according to research firm RBN Energy.

“These tonnage numbers are an indication of a continued recovery in the global energy markets coupled with an economic resiliency resulting from our transportation infrastructure investments alongside our customers increased investments in their operations,” said Sean Strawbridge, Chief Executive Officer for the Port of Corpus Christi.