According to a statement on Wednesday, Port of Corpus Christi customers moved 54.5 million tons of commodities through the Corpus Christi Ship Channel in the first quarter of 2026.

This marks the strongest first‑quarter performance in the port’s history, surpassing the prior high-water mark of 54 million tons in the fourth quarter 2024.

The current quarter results exceeded Q1 2025 by 3.2 million tons, or 6.1 percent, the port said.

The tonnage marked a record second quarter for the port, besting the prior second quarter record of 50.6 million tons, set in 2024.

According to the port, the growth in first‑quarter volumes compared to the prior year were primarily supported by continued growth in LNG, driven by ongoing commissioning activities at Cheniere’s Corpus Christi Stage 3 project, including Train 5 reaching substantial completion in March.

LNG shipments were up 1.5 million tons in total, a growth of 33 percent over the prior year first quarter, the port said, withou providing the volumes.

In the first quarter of last year, LNG shipments totaled 4.3 million tons, implying that the current quarter’s volumes are approximately 5.8 million tons.

Last year, LNG exports grew by 15.4 percent to 18.6 million tons.

March 2026 also marked a record month for the port as customers moved 19.9 million tons, a 10.4 percent increase over March 2025 (18 million tons).

Volumes also increased month-over-month, rising from 16.6 million tons in February 2026, with year‑over‑year growth supported by higher volumes across key commodity groups, including a 2.1 percent increase in crude oil shipments, an 11.4 percent increase in refined products and a 36.8 percent increase in LNG.

Crude oil exports exceeded 2.4 million barrels per day in March 2026, one of the highest monthly levels seen in this market, the port said.

“The dramatically higher shipment levels seen since the start of the conflict in Iran are a testament to our customers’ ability to maximize their operations and quickly respond to changing market conditions,” said Port of Corpus Christi CEO Kent Britton.