Corpus Christi Sun

Despite the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Port of Corpus Christi CEO Sean Strawbridge said the port is on track to have another "record year." 

The port has come a long way since it was founded in 1926. Back then, it was used primarily to help South Texas agriculture and cattle growers.  Not too long after it's establishment though, oil was discovered in the Lone Star State which transformed the port into a hub for the refining industry.

"We have continued to see more growth, primarily driven by first the energy renaissance as it related to, as I said, the innovations in extraction technologies," Strawbridge told Paul Benecki during an interview for The Maritime Executive podcast series called In the Know.

He said another "important inflection point" happened in December of 2015 when a ban on the exportation of U.S. produced crude oil was lifted. The ban was initially enacted as a response to OPEC's oil embargo by President Gerald Ford in 1975. Strawbridge says five years ago both democrats and republicans were able to reach an agreement that included the ban's repeal for republicans and the extension on tax credits for renewable energy for democrats. 

Ever since, Strawbridge said the port has seen "tremendous investment" from energy and logistic companies who move the carbon molecules from where it's produced to where it's needed, while also receiving investments from L&G and natural gas liquid facilities.

"That has just continued to propel the Port of Corpus Christi's growth ... to the now-largest export gateway for U.S. produced energy in the country," Strawbridge said. 

And while the port was not spared from the impacts of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which included a surplus of transportation fuel such as jet fuel, Corpus Christi is still ahead of where they were in years past including last year when it set a record.

"Which indicates we will still be on track to have yet another record year in 2020, even with this epic demand destruction," Strawbridge said.