Port of Houston containers set new record in July 2021
Port Houston reached new heights with its biggest month ever recorded for container TEUs, according to the company's release. This July Port Houston recorded 297,621 TEUs, an increase of 27% compared to July 2020 and an increase of 224 TEUs from the previous all-time record set in March 2021.
Year-to-date Port Houston reports a 15% increase in TEUs compared to 2020, which was a record year for containers in Houston and surpassed the 3 million TEU mark. July is the fifth month this year for double-digit growth in containers at Port Houston. Consumers are spending at unprecedented levels, driving an increase in cargo across all commodities even as the global supply chain experiences significant challenges like schedule disruptions, the bunching of vessels, and workforce strain.
In July the Port Commission approved a nearly $37 million contract to purchase three new dockside electric container cranes for Wharf No. 6 at Bayport Container Terminal, which is currently under construction. Additionally, we received five new hybrid rubber-tired gantry cranes and another four are expected to arrive in late August. These improvements are part of the larger strategic plan to optimize infrastructure and Houston Ship Channel capacity to better serve the region. General cargo was also up 5% for the month compared to July 2020. Auto imports saw big gains with an increase of 58% over July 2020. Steel exports were down in July, though steel imports were up 17%.
Overall, total cargo at Port Houston was up 5% in July. About Port Houston For more than 100 years, Port Houston has owned and operated the public wharves and terminals along the Houston Ship Channel, including the area’s largest breakbulk facility and two of the most efficient container terminals in the country. Port Houston is the advocate and a strategic leader for the Channel. The Houston Ship Channel complex and its more than 200 public and private terminals, collectively known as the Port of Houston, is the nation’s largest port for waterborne tonnage and an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas and the U.S.
