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Port Corpus Christi is in a good place. And that’s not just in reference to its location. Located on the western Gulf of Mexico, Port Corpus Christi is the sixth largest port in the United States in total tonnage. This strategic location provides access for importing and exporting goods worldwide to and from the United States by way of the Gulf of Mexico. The location’s convenient access to the United States inland waterway system, overland transportation via on-site and direct connections to three Class I railroads, and interstate and state highways make the Port a superior hub of international commerce.

“It’s a strategic military port, as well,” Executive Director John LaRue asserts. “A significant amount of the equipment for Operation Desert Storm was shipped out of Port Corpus Christi.” He adds that the Port has direct rail access to most of the U.S. Army bases in the West.

The port currently features a 45-foot channel depth to accommodate large ships. The site features more than 125 acres of open storage and fabrication sites, heavy lift capabilities, multiple docks and staging options and more than 295,000 square feet of covered dockside storage. 

Major Improvements

Yet the port commissioners sought to increase both the capacity and capabilities of the port. The world’s economic recession created more competition for funding sources. The port’s staff felt compelled to reconsider the design of future projects as a way to become more competitive and multipurpose. “Most of our revenue base was coming from the petrochemical industry,” LaRue says. “We began to look for other opportunities to widen our in­come base.”

The commission also realized there were ways to streamline operations as well as security. “We knew the Port wasn’t as coordinated or efficient as it could be,” LaRue says. “Before 9/11, our biggest security concerns were smuggling and drugs, so we didn’t give much thought to terrorist attacks.” 

Since then, the port has allocated $30 million to improve infrastructure security. The improvements included new lighting and fencing, video surveillance, and a security center. “We have to be cognizant of dangers from both the land and water sides of the Port,” he asserts.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Congress recently authorized channel improvements to widen and deepen the Corpus Christi Ship Channel to a depth of 52 feet and extend the Port’s La Quinta Ship Channel by 1.4 miles, 40 feet deep and 400 feet wide. “Ships are getting bigger, deeper and wider, and we want to be able to handle those larger vessels,” LaRue claims. 

In conjunction with the port extension, The La Quinta Trade Gateway Terminal project will utilize a 1,100-acre greenfield site located on the north side of Corpus Christi Bay to create a state-of-the-art multipurpose dock and container facility. The project will include construction of a three-berth, 3,800-foot-long ship dock that will have nine ship-to-shore cranes. In addition, an intermodal rail yard, more than 400 acres for on-site distribution and warehouse centers, and 180 acres of container/cargo storage yard will be added. The port then will be able to handle 1 million 20-foot equivalent units per year. 

Work began on the $76 million La Quinta extension in January 2010. The channel extension will serve the Port’s La Quinta Trade Gateway, a multi-purpose dock and general cargo/container terminal project. LaRue adds that future improvements to the Panama Canal will create even more opportunities for Port Corpus Christi. 

A former U.S. Naval base on Port Corpus Christi, Naval Station Ingleside was reverted to the port in May 2010. The board is hoping to sell the facilities to a private developer to try and create additional jobs for the area. In all, the combined cost for these improvements will total $400 million. “We are looking forward to attracting new businesses to the Port and boosting the area’s economy by creating job opportunities,” LaRue notes.