U.S. Gulf Coast crude exports averaged 3.7 MMb/d for the week ended January 30, sliding nearly 350 Mb/d from the prior week and coming in roughly 200 Mb/d below the 2026 YTD average as Winter Storm Fern swept across much of the country. The storm disrupted production, port operations, and terminal loadings, with freeze-offs tightening supply into export docks. According to our Crude Oil Permian report, Fern led to as much as 1.3 MMb/d of Permian production shut-ins during its peak, constraining feedstock availability just as ports were contending with weather-related disruptions. Corpus Christi continued to serve as the backbone of Gulf Coast exports and showed a slight increase in exports week-on-week, but volumes out of Houston, Beaumont, and Louisiana pulled back.
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Every Day I’m Shuffling – Changes at Houston, Corpus Christi Show How U.S. Crude Exports are Evolving
Houston and Corpus Christi dominate crude oil exports, but the balance between the two hot spots has been shifting in interesting ways recently. In Houston, Enterprise could extend its lead and in Corpus Christi, South Texas Gateway is fighting for the top spot after adding a new pipeline connection last fall.
Ridin’ The Storm Out – Will the Storm Set to Slam the South Lead to a Winter Storm Uri Reprise?
The gas market was roiled this week by the severe winter weather set to sweep across the country. Today, we discuss the market’s jump in advance of Winter Storm Fern’s arrival and whether its effects will rival the tremendous dislocations caused by Uri.
Houston Crude Exports Strengthen as European Demand Pulls Barrels Across the Atlantic
Gulf Coast crude exports rose 20% week-over-week to 3.6 MMb/d, but the more telling development was the renewed strength in Houston. Enterprise Houston loadings increased 21% to 786 Mb/d, while Seaway Freeport returned to the export market for the first time in eight weeks.
