The Perseus Star crude oil tanker departs the Port of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA, on Saturday, February 28, 2026.
Eddie Seal | Bloomberg | Getty Images
During the Iran war, tankers from around the world flocked to the U.S. Gulf Coast to load crude oil, making the Port of Corpus Christi busier than ever.
Before the war, the Texas port was the world’s third largest oil export terminal after Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia and Basra in Iraq.
Its importance has only grown as U.S. crude oil exports have surged to record levels and Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has largely cut off the Persian Gulf’s two major ports from the rest of the world.
U.S. oil exports surged to 5.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in April, an increase of more than 30% compared to prewar February exports of 3.9 million bpd, according to Kpler data.
CEO Kent Britton said March was the busiest month in the Port of Corpus Christi’s history, and the first quarter was its busiest quarter to date. Since the war began, oil exports have increased to about 2.5 million barrels a day, up from 2.2 million barrels a day last year, Britton said.
Corpus Christi’s vessel traffic increased to more than 240 vessels in March, compared to the usual 200 a month, the CEO said.
“There’s a constant flow of tankers coming and going,” he said.
asian buyers
Corpus Christi accounted for about half of U.S. crude oil exports in April, with Houston accounting for most of the rest, according to Kpler data.
About 50 to 60 large tankers, known as very large crude carriers (VLCCs), are now heading to U.S. ports every day, twice as many as last year, according to Kpler data. VLCCs can typically transport up to 2 million barrels.
Many of these tankers come from Asian countries that imported oil from the Middle East before the war, said Matt Smith, Kupler’s director of commodity research. They are now turning to the U.S. Gulf Coast, as the trade route through the strait into the Persian Gulf is effectively closed.
“The Asian market is buying whatever it can get, so it’s taking in a lot of light sweet crude,” Smith said.
Corpus Christi has also seen a significant increase in exports of refined products to the Middle East. CEO Britton said exports to the region were higher in the first quarter than in all of last year.
export restrictions
The rerouting of ships to the US Gulf is likely more a wartime crisis measure than a permanent realignment of Asian buyers to the US.
Kpler’s Smith said the light sweet crude produced by the United States is a poor substitute for Middle Eastern sour barrels because many refineries are configured to optimize for heavy feedstocks.
Additionally, U.S. oil exports are likely limited to just over 5 million barrels per day due to dock capacity, Smith said. Corpus Christi’s maximum export capacity is about 2.6 million barrels per day due to pipeline constraints, but CEO Britton said it could probably handle an additional 500,000 barrels per day if the pipeline is expanded.
The United States, Latin America and West Africa can help supply additional barrels to Asian buyers in need. But the Middle East is too large an oil producer to be replaced, Smith said. Before the war, about 20% of the world’s oil supply was exported through this strait.
“It’s a hole that can’t be plugged,” Smith said. “The answer lies in ensuring safe supplies from the Middle East.”
