Port Houston Container Volume Spikes

Surge in Containers follows record year

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Container activity at Port Houston was up 25 percent in January compared to the same period a year ago, marking a significant increase to begin the new year.

A total of 268,773 twenty-foot equivalent units moved across Port Houston’s docks in January, compared to 214,952 TEUs in January of last year.

The hike in container units comes on the heels of a record-setting year in 2019, when Port Houston saw an increase of 11 percent for the entire year and set a record. It was the eighteenth consecutive year of container growth at Port Houston.

Among the nation’s top ten container ports, Port Houston was 2019’s fastest-growing, according to data from maritime sector data vendor IHS Markit PIERS. Port Houston is the biggest container port in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, handling nearly 70 percent of the containers moving through the gulf.

Port Houston nearly hit the 3 million mark for twenty-foot equivalent units for 2019, recording 2,987,291 TEUs. Executive Director Roger Guenther said Port Houston is well-positioned to continue the upward trend in 2020. “Expansion of the Houston Ship Channel and investments in our landside marine terminals are our top priorities,” Guenther stated. “Our commitment to performing at the highest level possible at all times ensures we always deliver value to our regional exporters and importers.”

About Port Houston

For more than 100 years, Port Houston has owned and operated the public wharves and terminals of the greater Port of Houston – the nation’s largest port for the foreign waterborne tonnage and an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas and the U.S. nation. The Port of Houston supports the creation of nearly 1.35 million jobs in Texas and 3.2 million jobs nationwide, and economic activity totaling $339 billion in Texas – 20.6 percent of Texas’ total gross domestic product (GDP) – and total of $801.9 billion in economic impact across the nation. For more information, visit the website at PortHouston.com.