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SPECIFIC
ADVANTAGES TO THE PORT OF CORPUS CHRISTI:
The Port’s Foreign-Trade Zone Manager in conjunction with CBP’s Port Director hold monthly meetings to discuss problems, develop resolutions, provide updates and discuss FTZ issues which may be of concern to local operators. When necessary, special meetings are held for operators involved in importing and exporting. CBP does recognize the important role of FTZ’s in secure freight handling once the goods are in the U.S.
In 2003, the United States Customs and Border Protection notified
the Port of Corpus Christi regarding its official certification
as a member of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism
(C-TPAT) program. The C-TPAT program partners business and government
to develop working relationships in order to protect global commerce
against terrorism. The program provides the framework for trading
communities to develop security policies and procedures. Once
established, importers are then given preferential processing
by Customs. The CBP C-TPAT program recognizes the added security
that such practices bring to the final leg of the internal supply
chain, and does consider the use of an FTZ to be a “C-TPAT
Supply Chain Security Best Practice.”
Texas is one of a few states that imposes an ad valorem tax on all tangible personal property. Imported merchandise and domestic merchandise designated for export held within the zone are not subject to this tax.
The North side (off the ship channel) Road and Rail Corridor has expanded to serve as a direct route to IH-37 and Highway 181, less than a mile away. Also, cargo can be transferred between docks directly by trucks and/or vessels and easily loaded or unloaded on the landside of the warehouses at Cargo Docks 9 and 10.
In 1990, the U.S. Congress authorized the Corps of Engineers to begin investigating the possibility of deepening the Corpus Christi Ship Channel from 45 feet to 52 feet in order to accommodate larger vessels, increase shipping efficiency, and enhance navigation safety. Also, the Port has activated the ship channel for use of the Port’s refinery subzones for overflow storage using barges or vessels. Each refinery has been designated a zone operator as well as a subzone operator.
BNSF Railway, Union Pacific, and Kansas City Southern (Tex-Mex) Railways provide daily rail service to the companies employed in each of the zones. There are shipside tracks at our cargo docks that allow for direct transfers between vessels and railcars. These docks also have shore side rail access for direct transfer between truck and rail. At Cargo Dock 9, a canopy over rail tracks at the rear of the warehouse makes it ideal for weather-sensitive cargoes.
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