Industry Profiles

Ports and International Trade

Located on the border with Mexico and the Gulf Coast, the South Texas region is perfectly positioned for international trade.

Inland Ports

Trade between Mexico and the South Texas region totaled nearly $162 billion in 2007, up 28 percent since 2004. Trucks moved the majority of these goods, accounting for $125 billion worth or 77 percent of the total. The next most-common mode of transport was rail, which accounted for nearly $36 billion or 22 percent of the region’s trade with Mexico. The remainder was transported by mail, pipeline, air or water.

Eight inland ports in the South Texas region had truck trade with Mexico in 2007. Of these, Laredo was by far the busiest, with nearly $83 billion in goods passing through during 2007 (Exhibit 17).³¹

Texas has five rail border crossings with Mexico. Three of these are located in South Texas, in Brownsville, Eagle Pass and Laredo. Union Pacific and the Kansas City Southern Railway control the tracks at these three crossings.³²

Six inland ports in South Texas had rail trade with Mexico in 2007. Of these, Laredo again was the busiest with more than $27 billion in goods passing through during 2007 (Exhibit 18).³³

Seaports

South Texas has five seaports: Corpus Christi, Port Mansfield, Harlingen, Port Isabel and Brownsville.³⁴ By far the largest of these is the Port at Corpus Christi, located in Nueces County about 150 miles north of the Mexico border. The port has a channel depth of 45 feet, more than 125 acres of open storage and fabrication sites, heavy lifting capabilities, dockside rail from multiple carriers, excellent highway access and more than 295,500 square feet of covered dockside storage.

In 2006, the Port of Corpus Christi was ranked as the nation’s sixth-largest port in total cargo tonnage, handling 77.6 million tons. Nearly 70 percent of this cargo was involved in international trade, with nearly 60 percent of the total being international imports (Exhibit 19).³⁵

Three rail carriers serve the Port of Corpus Christi: Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Texas Mexican Railway Company and Union Pacific Railroad. In addition, the port’s public docks are served by 26 miles of port-owned rail lines operated by Corpus Christi Terminal Railroad. Several highways connect Corpus Christi to the U.S. and Mexico. Interstate 37 and U.S. Highway 181 are located just one mile from the port. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway meets the ship channel and provides access to U.S. inland waterways.³⁶

In 2004, a private consulting firm estimated that the Port of Corpus Christi was responsible for nearly 40,000 direct and indirect Texas jobs and nearly $2.2 billion in personal income. In addition, the study estimated that the port generated just under $2.8 billion in business revenue and indirect purchases and contributed more than $195 million in state and local taxes annually.³⁷

The second-largest port in the region, the Port of Brownsville, is located at the southernmost tip of Texas, at the end of a channel leading to the Gulf of Mexico by way of the Brazos Santiago Pass. Located about two miles southwest of Brownsville, it is adjacent to the Rio Grande River, providing an entry point to Mexico.

The port’s primary activities include the construction of offshore rigs, ship repair and dismantling, steel fabrication, boat construction, rail car rehabilitation, liquefied petroleum gas storage and distribution, waste oil recovery and grain handling and storage.³⁸

In 2006, a private consulting firm estimated that the Port of Brownsville was responsible for about 38,000 direct and indirect Texas jobs and $1.9 billion in personal income in the state. In addition, the study estimated that the port generated almost $2.8 billion in business revenue and indirect purchases and contributed nearly $174 million in state and local taxes annually.³⁹