Top US oil export hub closes as Hurricane Beryl nears

CORPUS CHRISTI, July 8, 2024 – The Port of Corpus Christi, the USA’s top export hub for crude oil, was among several Texas ports to close on Monday as Hurricane Beryl bore down on the coast, Reuters reported.

More than 4 million barrels of oil are exported daily from the port.

The ports of Corpus Christi, Houston, Galveston, Freeport and Texas City closed in anticipation of gale-force winds.

Corpus Christi, located around 300 kilometres from the US oil capital of Houston, is home to six refineries. With berths and draughts reaching 300 metres and 14 metres, respectively, the port can host Suezmax tankers capable of loading 1.2 million barrels of oil.

The port is also home to three LNG liquefaction trains of 5 million tonnes per year each, operated by Cheniere.

Hurricane Beryl, currently classified as a Category 1, made landfall in Texas on Monday morning, local time. Maximum sustained wind speeds of around 120 kilometres per hour were recorded as of 6:00 a.m. local time.

Image courtesy of the Port of Corpus Christi.

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