Two red dots near the right-hand edge of this map indicate where two single-point mooring buoy systems are expected to be built for loading Very Large Crude Carriers offshore. The deepwater export terminals will be about 21 nautical miles offshore. The bright green line indicates where pipeline will be installed. Courtesy map
The Port of Corpus Christi has partnered with Bluewater Texas Terminal to build two single-point mooring buoys 21 nautical miles from the mouth of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. The venture, for which the port voiced approval in March 2020, was approved by the port’s board of commissioners at a meeting Tuesday, Dec. 15. The port had officially disapproved of the terminals when first announced in August 2018.
The joint venture to build offshore oil terminals with Bluewater Texas Terminal LLC, is a departure from previous port decisions, which favor building terminals on Harbor Island in Port Aransas, proposals that have met with strong opposition from environmental groups. Bluewater Texas Terminal is a 50-50 joint venture between Phillips 66, which is headquartered in Texas, and Trafigura Group Pte. Ltd.
The project is currently in the permitting stage. As part of the agreement, Bluewater will lease 12 acres of non-waterfront land for an operations facility on Harbor Island. The facilities will include an office and equipment for inspection, monitoring, and communications. The agreement also includes pipeline easements
“(Bluewater Texas Terminal) will likely be the only offshore loading facility in Texas,” Port CEO Sean Strawbridge said in a media release. “(It) certainly solidifies the Port of Corpus Christi’s position as the leading energy export gateway in the United States.”
The offshore port will be used to load Very Large Crude Carriers at production rates of up to 80,000 barrels per hour with throughput capacities of 16 VLCCS per month. Crude oil from Permian and Eagle Ford shale plays will feed the export port via pipelines connected to the Harvest Midway Terminal, a planned multi-use crude oil storage terminal near Taft.
