January was a record-breaking month at Port Houston.
In the first month of this year, total container volumes at the Texas seaport reached 332,961 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU)—a 4% increase compared to the same month last year, and more than any other January on record at the port's facilities.
“Import and export demand through Houston remains strong, and we are certainly off to a great start in 2024," said Roger Guenther, executive director at Port Houston.
The port said container imports increased by 3% in January to 154,493 TEUs, which were driven primarily by strong imports from China in advance of the Lunar New Year. Loaded export volumes also soared, up 9% from the same period last year and totaling 124,137 TEUs. This set a new Port Houston record for loaded exports in January.
While box volumes soared, total tonnage across all of Port Houston’s terminals declined by 6% in January, totaling 4,187,541 tons. In particular, steel volumes fell sharply, down 46% in January compared to the same month last year.