Port Houston recorded its seventh consecutive month of double-digit container volume growth as increased consumer spending continues in the U.S.
Container activity for September 2021 was 281,500 TEUs, up 11% compared to the same month last year, the port said. Year-to-date, TEUs are up 16% compared to 2020.
Port Houston said its steel imports are also up, increasing 161% this month compared to September 2020 and are up 28% year-to-date. This growth reflects increased activity in the energy industry. Texas onshore and offshore rig count is up 243 rigs from October 1, 2020, almost double compared to last year, fueling an increase in demand for Oil Country Tubular Goods (steel pipe) for drilling operations.
“We expect container as well as demand for steel to continue growing through the remainder of the fourth quarter and into next year,” said Roger Guenther, Executive Director at Port Houston. “It’s an exciting time at Port Houston, and we are accelerating infrastructure expansion now for increased capacity in the future.”
The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority recently awarded the first major dredge contract for the billion-dollar Houston Ship Channel Expansion – Project 11. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company was awarded up to $95.4 Million to dredge 11.5-miles of the 52-mile channel, widening a major portion of the Galveston Bay reach from 530 to 700 feet. The work includes the construction of a new bird island and oyster mitigation.