HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mid year results are steady for the Port of Houston Authority. “Container volume continues to be very resilient, topping well over one million ‘TEUs’ (twenty-foot equivalent units) through the first six months of the year,” Executive Director Roger Guenther stated today in his report to the Port Commission. “It’s tough to compare 2016 versus 2015 on the container side,” he added, “because at this point last year container volume had spiked at an 18% increase over the prior year.” In 2015, the Port Authority handled a record-breaking 2 million plus container TEUs.
The Executive Director shared that while container TEU count is down by 4 percent, “activity has exceeded our expectations for the year thus far.” Guenther further noted that “we are optimistic about the second half of 2016, with the traction already gained in the East Asia trade.” Combined overall cargo tonnage for the Port Authority facilities also reached 17 million tons for the first half of the year.
Installation of a canopy into the entrance of the Turning Basin Terminal is scheduled to start Wednesday, July 27. The main gate is expected to be closed for two to three weeks during construction. During that time, visitors and employees should access the terminal through Cargo Bay Road or Gate 8 located on Clinton Drive. (click here).
The canopy project was designed and fabricated and will be installed by students at the University of Houston Graduate Design/Build Studio – Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture.
Additionally, construction of a new front entry to the Executive Office Building, which is also at the Turning Basin Terminal, will begin on Thursday, July 28. During construction, employees and visitors may access the front entrance of the building through a temporary entrance. This project is scheduled to run through September 23.
The next regular Port Commission meeting will be held September 27. There will be no meeting in August.
About the Port of Houston Authority
For more than 100 years, the Port of Houston Authority has owned and operated the public wharves and terminals of the Port of Houston – the nation’s largest port for foreign waterborne tonnage and an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas, and the nation. It supports the creation of nearly 1.175 million jobs in Texas and 2.7 million jobs nationwide, and economic activity totaling almost $265 billion in Texas – 16 percent of Texas’ total gross domestic product – and more than $617 billion in economic impact across the nation. For more information, visit the Port Authority website at: www.portofhouston.com.
