Posted on July 31, 2024
Port Houston has crossed the 2 million TEU threshold more quickly than ever before.
During the first six months of the year, the port successfully handled 2.09 million TEU across its terminals, representing a double-digit growth of 13 per cent year-to-date (YTD) compared to the first half of the previous year.
In June, 339,157 TEU were managed at the port’s facilities, a 7 per cent increase over June 2023.
Roger Guenther, Executive Director at Port Houston, said: “Houston’s robust economy plays a pivotal role in the success of our container terminals. The city’s dynamic economic landscape, driven by diverse industries such as energy, manufacturing, technology, and population growth fosters increased consumer demand and industrial activity.”
Recently, the port received six more rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) hybrid-electric cranes, the fourth of five total deliveries this year. Port Houston has added 26 additional RTGs since December 2023.
Additionally, by the end of this year, 15,000-TEU-class neo-Panamax vessels will be able to dock at Bayport as the port continues to work on its Houston Ship Channel Expansion, also known as Project 11.
In June, increasing demand for products and consumer spending on things such as furniture, hardware, retail goods, and food propelled Port Houston’s loaded import volumes up 5 per cent compared to the same month the previous year.
Loaded exports also grew considerably, up 11 per cent this month at 114,728 TEU. YTD loaded exports are up 14 per cent at 769,844 TEU.
General cargo was down 10 per cent YTD at Port Houston’s multipurpose facilities, but steel imports were up 2 per cent this month against June 2023.
Furthermore, plywood has climbed by 4,215 per cent year so far, despite its relatively small total volume of 45,013 short tonnes.
Total tonnage across all facilities continues positive, with a 5 per cent rise in the first half of the year compared to the previous year.
