DP World plots US port comeback with Corpus Christi container terminal

Global terminal operator DP World has taken another step toward returning to U.S. port operations two decades after a proposed takeover of terminals at several major American ports raised concerns over national security. The Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, has signed a lease option agreement with Dubai-based DP World to develop a container terminal capable of eventually handling about 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units annually, according to a port official. “We’ve signed a lease option agreement with DP World for a development … of a container terminal in the Port,” Jeffrey Pollack, chief strategy and sustainability officer for the Port of Corpus Christi Authority, told the American Journal of Transportation during the American Association of Port Authorities annual convention in New Orleans on Sept. 29. Corpus Christi currently is not a container port, and Pollack said adding container operations would significantly diversify a cargo base heavily centered on energy. Pollack said officials envision a relatively modest container operation by the standards of the largest U.S. gateways, with capacity ultimately topping out around 1 million TEUs annually. DP World eyes return to US ports The agreement represents a significant potential return to U.S. marine terminal operations for DP World. The company, which is owned by the government of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, became the center of a major political controversy in 2006 after its acquisition of British terminal operator P&O would have transferred P&O’s terminal leases and operations at several major U.S. ports to DP World. The deal triggered bipartisan opposition in Congress over national security concerns and ultimately led DP World to divest P&O’s U.S. port operations, according to the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee’s Feb. 28, 2006 hearing, “Security of Terminal Operations at U.S. Ports.” DP World ultimately announced in March 2006 that it would divest P&O’s U.S. operations after lawmakers moved to block the transaction. The controversy came despite the George W. Bush administration’s support for the transaction and its position that port security would remain under the responsibility of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Coast Guard. The Corpus Christi project would mark DP World’s first U.S. container terminal development since that episode and its first container terminal development on the U.S. Gulf Coast. DP World is one of the world’s largest terminal operators, handling roughly 10% of global container traffic through more than 60 ports and terminals. Corpus Christi looks beyond energy DP World and the Port of Corpus Christi first announced in June that they had entered exclusive negotiations for a long-term lease. Under the proposed development, DP World would design, build and operate the terminal. At the time, the parties said negotiations would focus on terminal design, capacity planning and the project’s investment structure. The project could significantly alter Corpus Christi’s position in Gulf Coast freight markets. The port is one of the nation’s largest gateways by total tonnage but has historically focused on crude oil, liquefied natural gas, refined petroleum products, agricultural commodities and industrial cargo rather than containers. More FreightWaves maritime coverage Corpus Christi also recently acquired about 2,000 acres roughly 8 to 10 miles south of its Inner Harbor that port officials envision as an inland port supporting the proposed container terminal. Pollack said the property can connect with all three Class I railroads serving the port and multiple interstate highway systems, potentially attracting manufacturing, warehousing and other import-export operations. The container push comes as Corpus Christi continues posting record overall cargo volumes. Customers moved 110.3 million tons through the Corpus Christi Ship Channel during the first half of 2026, up 7.7% from the previous first-half record of 102.4 million tons set a year earlier. Why it matters: The project at the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, would bring DP World back into U.S. container terminal operations two decades after national security concerns in Congress derailed its acquisition of terminal operations at several major American ports. More FreightWaves articles by Noi Mahoney: FMCSA restores 30-day HOS relief for truckers during emergencies Identity thieves target customs payments in cross-border freight Trump touts truck tariffs at Peterbilt plant in Texas Upcoming FreightWaves Events Compliance Brokerage Compliance Symposium The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry. October 26, 2026 The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now Awards F3 Awards Dinner The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shi