February 2026 Meeting: Port Houston Strengthens Reliability Across Terminals, Cranes, and Critical Systems

Commission advances projects that expand capacity and reinforce a future‑ready infrastructure

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Thursday, February 19, the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority met for its regular monthly meeting.

Chairman Ric Campo opened the meeting by welcoming Michel Bechtel to the Port Commission and also recognizing the succession of former Commissioner Stephen H. DonCarlos, who completed his maximum 12-year term limit.

During the meeting, it was also noted that Port Houston CEO Charlie Jenkins recently traveled to Europe to meet with key container customers. During these meetings, port leadership further outlined current infrastructure investments, strategic priorities, and long-term plans to support growth and competitiveness, while also engaging customers on their needs and opportunities to collaborate for shared success. He noted that if you look over the past 10 years, Port Houston’s container volumes are growing two times faster than the second-fastest growing port, and the port anticipates continued strong growth in containers. For that reason, continued investment in infrastructure is critical.

Port Houston also reported the biggest January container volume on record, reflecting a 4% increase from the same month last year. Additional details are available in Port Houston’s press release that was issued on February 23.

Also in January, Port Houston successfully offloaded four new fully electric ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, and additionally, ten of its 16 new rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes reached provisional acceptance and are now in service.

During the meeting, the Commission awarded a professional services contract to John C. Martin Associates, LLC for the development of a new economic impact study report. The previous study was issued in 2022 and provides valuable information and statistics Port Houston needs and uses for its daily engagement with industry and community partners as well as in its advocacy for federal, state, and local investment.

Port Houston’s ongoing infrastructure investments at Bayport and Barbour’s Cut Container Terminals, as well as its multi-purpose facilities, continue to add capacity and support the port’s strategy of building ahead of demand and sustaining long-term growth. The Commission approved construction of Wharf 1 at the Bayport Container Terminal, adding 1,300 linear feet of wharf space. Wharf 1 is scheduled to be completed in 2028. This expanded berth will accommodate the largest vessels capable of calling Houston and will be fitted with the largest cranes at the port to date.

The Commission also approved a series of technology investments to further strengthen operational resiliency, security, and system reliability across Port Houston. These actions support enhanced terminal operations, improved data governance and reporting, and expanded network redundancy and bandwidth.

The Port Commission will meet next on Monday, March 23, 2026.

About Port Houston

For more than 100 years, Port Houston has owned and operated the public wharves and terminals along the Houston Ship Channel, including the area’s largest breakbulk facility and two of the most efficient container terminals in the country. Port Houston is the advocate and a strategic leader for the Channel. The Houston Ship Channel complex and its more than 200 private and eight public terminals is the nation’s largest port for waterborne tonnage and an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas and the U.S. The Port of Houston supports the creation of nearly 1.5 million jobs in Texas and 3.37 million jobs nationwide, and economic activity totaling $439 billion in Texas and $906 billion in economic impact across the nation. For more information, visit the website at PortHouston.com.