Container activity at Port Houston surged in 2019, logging a hefty 11% increase and setting a record. This marks the eighteenth consecutive year of container growth at the largest container port on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
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 nearly hit the 3 million mark for twenty-foot equivalent units, recording 2,987,291 TEUs. Executive Director Roger Guenther said Port Houston is wellpositioned to continue the upward trend in 2020.
“The year 2019 was another record year for volume at Port Houston’s container facilities, and the third consecutive year for double-digit TEU growth,” Guenther said. “Our strategy of relentless focus on customer service and continued investment in terminal capacity allows us to seamlessly handle rapidly growing volumes of international trade and support the local, state and national economies.”
Loaded container exports at Port Houston jumped 17 percent in 2019, buoyed by a historic expansion in the export of raw polyethylene resin. Continued growth is projected, as the amount of resins being produced by petrochemical plants along the Houston Ship Channel continues to increase.
Loaded imports grew 5 percent in 2019, driven by a broad spectrum of companies from sectors including retail, alternative energy, food and beverage and industrial materials.
Source: Port Houston (Additional information about Port Houston at CruiseMapper)