Kirby 8044, am empty barge, lodged into the Ocean Freedom, a 480-foot cargo ship in the inner harbor of the Port of Corpus Christi on Oct. 29. A $300 million capital improvement project would make the ship channel safer, says port commissioners. Photo U.S. Coast Guard
As fewer but bigger ships sail into the Port of Corpus Christi each day, traffic in the ship channel can back up. The Port needs $300 million to dredge and widen the channel to allow for more and bigger ships to come in, especially if the federal ban on exporting crude oil is ever lifted, said commissioners.
“Larger ships are coming,” Richard Ralph Valls Jr. said at a recent port commissioner’s meeting. Valls is one of seven members on the commission. “It’s extremely important that this project gets done.”
The number of ships has been dropping according to recent statistics, but the vessels are vastly bigger. During the first nine months of the year, 5,812 ships sailed through the port. In 2014, that number was 6,299. Cargo weight climbed to 77.9 million from 73.3 million. Fewer ships; more cargo.
Despite the fall in oil and gas prices, the increase in tonnage came from crude and petroleum. This year, 66.7 million tons of crude and petroleum were shipped. Last year, the total for the same time period was 61.6 million tons.
The port has the authorization needed to make the necessary changes, including widening the channel to 530 feet and deepening the entire passageway to 52 feet from 45 feet.
The port spend $58 million to extend the La Quinta Ship Channel about 1.4 miles, which was completed in 2013. In 2014, La Quinta was further deepen to match the original channel.
