From January to March, Port Houston handled 1 million TEU year-to-date (YTD), a 15 per cent increase over the same period the previous year.
In March alone, container traffic at Port Houston came at 360,991 TEU, a 20 per cent increase over March 2023, making it Port Houston’s most successful March.
Consumer spending on commodities such as furniture and appliances led to loaded import volumes that increased 23 per cent in March compared to the same month last year and 14 per cent YTD.
Loaded export volumes grew by 12 per cent in March and 15 per cent for the year, reaching 404,124 TEU YTD.
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Roger Guenther, Executive Director at Port Houston, said: “The improvements we continue to make at our facilities, combined with a committed workforce, have allowed us to efficiently handle the double-digit growth in both imports and exports during the first quarter.
“Our customers can count on us to continue to invest in the infrastructure and people we need to move their cargo quickly through our terminals as demand increases.”
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The M/V Happy Diamond recently delivered six hybrid-electric rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes to Bayport Container Terminal, as one of many RTG deliveries to Port Houston facilities this year.
According to Port Houston, these RTG cranes are more ecologically friendly than diesel ones, with 90 per cent reductions in NOx, PM, HC, and CO emissions.
“The steady addition of hybrid-electric cranes to the fleet at Port Houston’s terminals reflects our commitment to continue to invest in landside infrastructure as well as our goal to reach carbon neutrality by the year 2050,” added Guenther.
In October 2023, Port Houston announced its biggest month ever for loaded exports, recording a 6 per cent increase compared to October 2022.
