The Port of Corpus Christi next month will complete a dredging project that deepens the draft to an Ingleside, Texas, terminal, lifting overall export capacity by as much as 600,000 bbl/d, the port's chief executive said on March 7.

The deepening of the Ingleside channel draft, to 54 ft from 47 ft, allows larger vessels to load and expands export capacity by 400,000 bbl/d to 600,000 bbl/d, said Sean Strawbridge, the port's CEO, in remarks at the CERAWeek energy conference.

The port, located along the south Texas coast, sends some 2 MMbbl/d of oil to global markets. Its expansion will complete the second phase of a larger port improvement and expansion project.

Corpus Christi accounted for about 60% of U.S. crude oil exports last year.