Port of Corpus Christi Completes $625M Ship Channel Expansion, Boosting U.S. Energy Export Capacity

The Port of Corpus Christi has marked a significant milestone with the completion of its Channel Improvement Project (CIP), deepening the ship channel serving the nation’s busiest oil export port.

The $625 million infrastructure initiative, which began construction in 2017, represents a major enhancement to the nation’s energy export capabilities.

The expanded waterway—now 54 feet deep at Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) and 530 feet wide—will be able to accommodate larger vessels and two-way traffic, leading to projected annual transportation cost savings of over $200 million. The channel previously measured just 47-feet-deep and 400-feet-wide.

“This accomplishment is only possible because of the steadfast support and cooperation of our non-federal partner, the Port of Corpus Christi,” said Col. Rhett Blackmon, Commander for the USACE Galveston District.

Since the lifting of the United States’ 40-year ban on crude oil exports in late 2015, the Port of Corpus Christi has emerged as the largest crude export port in the United States and the third largest globally. The port handles over 2.4 million barrels of crude oil daily and also ranks as the second-largest U.S. liquefied natural gas export facility.

“The Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project unlocks a new era of economic growth for both the Coastal Bend and the nation,” said Port Commission Chairman David Engel.

The project’s success has already catalyzed regional growth, attracting more than $65 billion in commercial investments to the Coastal Bend over the past decade. The port’s operations currently support over 95,000 jobs throughout Texas.

The CIP was jointly funded by Congress and the Port of Corpus Christi, with support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and private marine companies.

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