When the new Harbor Bridge is built and the old one (shown here) is removed, some 85 acres will be available for development between Whataburger Field and American Bank Center. Most will be owned by the city of Corpus Christi. Courtesy photo
A new rail terminal, a petroleum and petroleum products storage facility, and new oil dock are expected soon on 41 acres of property owned by the Port of Corpus Christi. The port’s board of commissioners approved a 30-year lease agreement with Maverick Terminals Corpus, LLC, a subsidiary of Howard Energy Partners at its July 18 board meeting.
Howard Energy plans to design, construct and operate the rail line and storage facility on the property, which lines the north side of the Corpus Christi channel. The Port of Corpus Christi agreed, for its part, to design and construct Oil Dock 20 on the waterfront property. The new facility will support the transportation of U.S. energy to Mexican consumers, a growing market for U.S. petroleum products.
“This lease marks a strategic and significant expansion of our terminal network, not only for refined products but for crude oil,” said Brad Bynum, Howard Energy Partners co-founder and president in a news release. “We are excited about the opportunities for further development and look forward to continuing to expand our relationship with the Port of Corpus Christi.”
Oil Dock 20 will provide Mexico with oil and gas via rail until the country has completed its proposed Dos Aquilas pipeline. Both the pipeline and train line will connect the Coastal Bend to Monterrey, Mexico. Two to three train units a week should be needed to keep up with demand until the pipeline can be built.
This will be the third port built by Howard Energy, which has ports in Brownsville and Port Arthur. The Corpus Christi dock will have Suezmax tanker capacity. Suezmax tankers are the largest ships capable of moving through the Suez Canal.
“The Port Corpus Christi has secured its position as the number one crude oil export port in the United States,” said Charles W. Zahn, chairman of the Port Corpus Christi Commission. “This major investment from Howard Energy Partners represents a shining example of why the Port of Corpus Christi is the Energy Port of the Americas.”
According to the initial announcement of the pipeline in January 2016, Dos Aquilas is expected to be in-service by early 2018. The project includes 287 miles of 12-inch pipeline and new terminals located in Robstown and Laredo.
The Port of Corpus Christi is the fourth-largest port in terms of total tonnage in the United States.
