Port Houston is another port breaking yearly container records, processing 3.5 million TEU in 2021, a 15 per cent increase compared to 2020.
The port set a new cargo record, with tonnage reaching nearly 52 million tons. Previously, the highest total cargo tonnage was 48.2 million tons in 2019.
At Port Houston, truck times averaged less than 50 minutes at the port during December 2021. More than 13,000 gate transactions were completed in one day in the final month of the year.
“Port Houston is not only a port authority. We are also a marine terminal operator of our container facilities. Our long-standing strategy of building capacity in front of demand and investing into our terminals and our people is demonstrating results,” said Roger Guenther, Executive Director of Port Houston.
Imports are a major driver in this significant growth. In December alone, the port handled 303,204 TEU, a 10 per cent increase compared to the same period the previous year. In this month, 148,301 TEU counted for loaded imports and the remaining 90,660 TEU represented loaded exports.
“We are focused on accelerating expansion of our infrastructure and working with the ILA and our other partners to continue to provide world-class service to our customers and be a major force in the global supply chain,” continued Guenther.
In the next month, three new neo-Panamax Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes are set to arrive at the port, adding to its current fleet of 26 STS cranes and 110 Rubber-Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes.
Furthermore, Port Houston’s list of direct services is expected to continue to grow in 2022. The most recent addition sees the port included on the Mediterranean Shipping Company’s (MSC) Santana trans-Pacific service. This will connect Houston to Vietnam, Central China, and the US Gulf.
