Port Houston has jumped from No. 7 to No. 5 in the Journal of Commerce’s ranking of top US container ports in terms of TEUs handled in 2022.
Overall tonnage is up 4% through March compared to last year collectively for all of our terminals. “Our import and export volume reached record numbers in 2022 and is considered one of the fastest growing ports in the US in loaded imports and loaded exports, and Houston now owns a 7% market share of the total US container business,” said Port Houston Chairman Ric Campo.
Growth continued across all trade lanes for Port Houston. Transpacific was the top trade lane for loaded imports and grew 25.7% in 2022. Transatlantic was the top trade lane for loaded exports, increasing by 20.5% in 2022.
2023 year-to-date figures show that loaded export volumes at Port Houston reached 349,964 TEUs, an increase of 26% in the first quarter of this year compared to last and 10% up compared to March 2022. This makes March 2023 currently the highest monthly volume for loaded exports in Port Houston’s history.
Port Houston’s Bayport Container Terminal is preparing for the arrival of three new STS cranes and the completion of Wharf 6 later this year. Port Houston’s Barbours Cut Container Terminal is also undergoing various improvements, with seven new RTGs arriving this November and seven in January 2024.
In addition to planned $1.4 billion in landside infrastructure investments over the next five years, Port Houston recently announced the completion of the first segment of the Houston Ship Channel Expansion – Project 11. Segment 1A, which includes 11.5 miles in the Bay, was completed on schedule and on budget and is expected to help increase safety, reduce congestion, and improve vessel transit times by approximately an hour by reducing daylight restrictions.
Port 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 $801.9 billion in economic impact across the nation.