The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has awarded a $139 million construction contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company (GLDD) to complete the third phase in the Port of Corpus Christi’s Channel Improvement Project.
The project consists of four phases and is meant to increase the Corpus Christi Ship Channel depth from -47 feet Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) to -54 feet MLLW and widen it to 530 feet, while also adding 400 feet of barge shelves.
Phase three will extend the west of the La Quinta Junction through the Chemical Turning Basin in the ports inner harbour and is expected to be completed by June 2023.
Sean Strawbridge, CEO at the Port of Corpus Christi, added, “The Port of Corpus Christi applauds the US Army Corps of Engineers for continuing to move expeditiously on this nationally vital waterway project.
“Advancing the third phase of this historic initiative in developing critical coastal navigation infrastructure reinforces our nation’s importance in serving the global energy markets, and certainly solidifies the Port of Corpus Christi’s position as the largest energy export gateway in the United States. We welcome Great Lakes Dredge and Dock back to the project and have every confidence they will complete the work on time and on budget.”
Phase one of the improvement included deepening and widening the waterway from the Gulf of Mexico to Harbor Island and was completed by GLDD on time in March 2020,
The phase two contract, however, was awarded to Callan Marine Ltd, which is still under construction and involves deepening and widening the channel from Harbor Island to 2.7 miles past the La Quinta Junction.
Lasse Peterson, Chief Executive Officer for GLDD, added “We are proud to partner with the USACE, Galveston District, the Port of Corpus Christi and local officials in the execution of phase three of the Corpus Christi deepening project.
“Great Lakes’ proven experience in this type of project, our high safety standard and our expertise in minimising environmental impact in the areas we work will support our goal of completing this project safely, on time and within budget.”
This is not the only improvement the Port of Corpus Christi is working on. Previously it also set out a roadmap for carbon storage, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Texas General Land Office (GLO) to develop a storage solution along the Gulf of Mexico.
