Port Houston Surpasses 3 million TEUs In Record Time

The Port of Houston Authority (Port Houston) has set a new container record after surpassing 3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) through September, the earliest the port has ever eclipsed the 3 million TEU mark.

Through September, the port recorded 3,120,589 TEUs, which was a 10 percent increase compared to 2023. Loaded imports were up 4 percent in September alone, compared to September 2023, and 8 percent year-to-date. Loaded exports were down 8 percent for the month of September but up 10 percent year-to-date, which the port attributes to a strong demand for resins. Total container volume for the month of September was 329,462 TEUs, an increase of 1 percent compared to September 2023.

“At Port Houston we are moving more containers than ever before, having reached the 3 million TEU mark already this year,” said Charlie Jenkins, CEO of Port Houston. “This milestone reflects strong customer demand and our commitment to delivering a low-cost and low-risk proposition to our customers that is anchored in service excellence. I am proud to be a member of the Port Houston team during these exciting times and am committed to continuing our investments in people and infrastructure to stay ahead of the demand.”

In September, Port Houston’s Bayport Container Terminal welcomed its largest vessel on record, the CMA CGM Cassiopeia, which measures 1,188 feet by 150 feet. The Cassiopeia arrived with 11,356 TEUs, and 7,327 moves were completed during its stay.

By the end of November, the port expects 15,000-TEU neo-Panamax vessels to be approved to routinely call the Bayport Container Terminal, thanks to the ongoing Houston Ship Channel expansion work, known as Project 11. The project is widening the channel from 530 feet to 700 feet and making other safety and efficiency improvements.

As the local advocate of the Houston Ship Channel, the nation’s busiest waterway, Port Houston has spearheaded improvements to the channel to enhance safety for two-way traffic of liquid bulk tankers and large neo-Panamax container vessels, with fewer restrictions to navigation.

“Port Houston has invested heavily in the channel expansion because we understand the pivotal role we play in our region’s economic vitality,” Jenkins said. “We are excited to see larger ships arrive to Bayport, but Project 11 is bigger than our public terminals. It’s a vital project for our nation’s largest petrochemical complex. It’s important for safety along the waterway, and it helps secure the positive economic impacts the channel has for generations to come.”

At the port’s other facilities, steel imports were up in September by 25 percent compared to a year ago. Total tonnage across all of Port Houston’s public facilities is 39.4 tons through the first nine months of the year, marking a 4 percent increase compared to 2023.

Houston Ship Channel stakeholders will gather in Houston November 6–8 for the third annual Houston International Maritime Conference (HIMC). The conference will focus on networking and discussing topics like landside fluidity, the state of the region’s economy, cold storage in the Houston area, importer insights, sustainability in shipping and more. For more information on the event, visit Port Houston’s website.