Plans by Phillips 66 to build a deep-water crude exporting port in the Gulf of Mexico are getting the support of the Port of Corpus Christi in Texas.
“When (Phillips) 66 came and pitched us on their concept and their location and their idea, we were very keen to work with them,” Port CEO Sean Strawbridge told the Caller Times.
Bluewater Texas Terminal LLC, a subsidiary of Phillips 66 has requested a permit from the Maritime Administration to build, own and operate the deep-water port about 21 miles east of the Aransas Pass entrance to the Port of Corpus Christi.
. The project will entail the construction of onshore and offshore infrastructure, including a booster station on Harbor Island in Port Aransas and two offshore single point mooring buoy systems.
“We see that there is so much volume coming to Corpus Christi that we probably are going to need some (options),” he said. “We felt that the fact (Phillips) 66 wanted to work with the Port of Corpus Christi — which they’re the only buoy that’s been announced on the Texas Gulf Coast working with a public port authority — we think that’s a better solution than the Trafigura solution.”
A similar deep-water port project pitched by Switzerland-based commodities company Trafigura has drawn heavy opposition from the Port of Corpus Christi because of its proposed location several miles off the Padre Island National Seashore. Port officials have said the national seashore could be devastated in the event of an oil spill from Trafigura’s project.
The proposed Phillips 66 deep-water port would handle what are called Very Large Crude Carriers which are capable of carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil. The port at Corpus Christi cannot fully load them so they must be partially loaded and have the rest ferried out to the carriers in the Gulf of Mexico.