Record gate moves and extra loaders are positive signs this summer at Port Houston. Nevertheless, container twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) at the largest container port on the United States Gulf Coast continued showing coronavirus effects and was down 10% in July. Container TEUs for the first seven months of the year is down just 3% compared to 2019, which was a record year. Of note, container activity is up 8% compared to the same time period in 2018, another record year during its time.

Port Houston handled 234,737 TEUs in July of this year, compared to July of 2019, when a total of 259,993 TEUs were handled. For the full year so far, Port Houston has handled 1,662,546 TEUs, compared to 1,721,402 TEUs for the same period in 2019.

Total tonnage at Port Houston for July was down 6%, with steel, breakbulk cargo and autos all down compared to July of last year, although grain and bulk cargo again showed increases, as they did in June.

A recent uptick in activity included two record days for truck transactions at the Barbours Cut Container Terminal in July. “Our team at the Barbours Cut Container Terminal processed more than 4,000 trucks each day, moving this cargo efficiently through our gates and into stores and homes,” Executive Director Roger Guenther said.

Another positive sign, Port Houston received one extra loader in July to handle peak Trans-Pacific volumes and is expecting four more in August. Blank sailings appear to be decreasing in August as well. “These are bright spots we are hopeful will continue,” said Guenther.  

Strict safety protocols to avoid the spread of COVID-19 remain in place at our facilities. Port Houston places the health and safety of its workers first and thanks the men and women working on all the private and public docks, driving trucks in and out of the port, and our other maritime transportation workers, who all support the port’s daily functions.