Corpus Christi shipped 400,000 bpd of Texas crude

CORPUS CHRISTI – Crude oil shipments out of the Port of Corpus Christi hit 394,000 barrels per day (bpd) in November 2013 as several new docks came online, according to port records.

Outbound crude loadings from Corpus Christi reached a previous high of 370,000 bpd in September 2013.

Corpus Christi’s port provides the main coastal outlet for the surging production of light sweet crude oil coming from the Eagle Ford shale play in South Texas. The crude is largely destined for refineries along the Gulf Coast or East Coast of the United States.

November 2013 saw the completion of several new docks, which allowed more frequent loadings of large coastal barges and tankers, according to John LaRue, the executive director of the Port of Corpus Christi.

"It’s still moving by inland barge but there’s even more activity with the larger ocean-going barges and Jones Act vessels," said LaRue, referring to a category of U.S.-flagged, U.S.-built and U.S.-crewed ships that are permitted to move between domestic ports.

Midstream companies Martin Midstream, Plains All American Pipeline LP and Nustar operate the recently completed docks.

Production from the Eagle Ford shale formation has averaged over 677,000 bpd from January 2013 through November 2013, according to the Texas Railroad Commission.

By comparison, nearly 65,000 bpd of Eagle Ford crude left the nearby Port of Victoria in December 2013, headed east on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a manmade inland canal that stretches from the Texas border to Florida.

Read more at Reuters.