Forbes ranks Port of Corpus Christi as fastest-growing port in US

The Port of Corpus Christi received high recognition after being dubbed the fastest-growing site of its type in the nation over the last decade by Forbes. The magazine released its top 10 fastest-growing ports in the U.S. on Saturday, December 30, calling the Port of Corpus Christi an “energy-exporting powerhouse.”

Since 2013, the Port of Corpus Christi grew 238.33%, according to the Forbes ranking. Forbes added the port’s exporting prowess is so strong that it is also one of the 10 worst-performing sites for imports over the last decade, down 63.3%.

Corpus Christi is followed by the Port of Mobile, Alabama (121.84%)), Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson International Airport (103.49% ), and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (99.65%), according to the ranking. 

To compile the list, Forbes ranked the nation’s more than 400 ports by value through October, using the latest U.S. Census Bureau data available. Then Forbes narrowed it down to the top 50 since they account for more than 85% of all U.S. trade.

For Corpus Christi, 77% of the value of its export is oil, another 10% is gasoline and other refined petroleum, and 7.7% is natural gas, including LNG (Liquefied natural gas) — which combine to almost 95 percent of the total value, according to Forbes.

The Port of Corpus Christi has been in operation since 1926 and has since become the largest port in the United States, based on total revenue tonnage, according to the port’s website. The port’s site also noted it’s the nation’s largest energy export gateway. The Port boasts a 54-foot-deep channel, three Class I railroads — BNSF, KCS, and UP — and a location adjacent to Interstate 37 and Highway 181, the website stated.