BNSF Railway’s new service at Barbours Cut Container Terminal expands capacity to meet growing demand. Port Houston averages around 12,000 trucks per day at our container terminals. With this added on-dock terminal rail service, Port Houston can help customers get their containers more efficiently. BNSF’s service will operate Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays heading to the greater Dallas/Fort Worth and Denver markets.

Union Pacific has also expanded their services to deliver containers to five growing inland markets. This service will allow containers to be loaded onto railcars from cargo ships docked at Barbours Cut Container Terminal and transported directly to Denver, Salt Lake City, Oakland, Los Angeles, El Paso, and Dallas/Fort Worth. This addition will help containers head to their destination more efficiently and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Port Houston is the largest Gulf Coast container port, handling 73% of U.S. Gulf Coast container traffic and is an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas and the U.S.

“These added rail services are an exciting step forward in the movement of cargo at Port Houston. Port Houston is a top five container port and growing fast, and intermodal solutions like this help ensure continued efficient movement of goods to locations throughout the U.S.,” said Roger Guenther, Executive Director at Port Houston .

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The Houston Ship Channel complex and more than 200 private facilities along the channel, collectively known as the Port of Houston, is now the number one port in the United States in terms of total waterborne tonnage. It is also ranked first for foreign waterborne tonnage and number of vessel transits with nearly 285 million tons of cargo moved through the port overall in 2019.

This waterway expansion is critical in helping widen and deepen the channel for safer and more efficient navigation of vessels calling Port Houston’s eight public terminals and the more than 200 private facilities operating along the channel. Specifically, the project will widen the channel by 170 feet along its Galveston Bay reach, from 530 feet to 700 feet. It will also deepen segments up to 46.5 feet, make other safety and efficiency improvements, and craft new environmental features.

The design aspect of the project, which is the eleventh major widening and deepening of the waterway in its history, already is virtually completed. Among the next steps will be to start construction in Galveston Bay this year.

“To go from Congressional authorization to securing a pathway for construction in less than a month is phenomenal news,” Port Houston Chairman Ric Campo said. “Project 11 will provide the greater Houston metropolitan area continued job growth and economic development opportunities, while improving air quality by reducing traffic congestion on the channel.”

The goal is for an initial 3% reduction of NOx from vessel emissions. A wider, deeper therefore safer channel has fewer transits, shorter wait times and decreased turnaround distance. During the next 11 years, it is anticipated air emissions will be reduced 7% annually.

Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther called the New Start designation a momentous occasion for the port.

“We’re grateful for our bipartisan Congressional delegation and the many channel stakeholders who aggressively advocated to get this project authorized and funded,” Guenther said. “Without their continued support, we wouldn’t be in this position today.”

The channel is one of the most vital waterways in the country, connecting the Gulf Coast to other ports around the globe. The waterway has more deep-draft ship visits than any other port in the country, and nearly 200,000 barge transits every year as well. As energy and manufacturing exports increase and vessel sizes grow, improving the channel continues to be nationally important.

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Container activity at Port Houston, the largest container port on the United States Gulf Coast, began slowing in late March as expected due to the coronavirus pandemic, but was still up for the first quarter of 2020..

Port Houston handled a total of 248,280 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) in March, a drop of 11 percent compared to March of 2019, when 280,721 TEUs were recorded.  However, for the full year, Port Houston handled 773,087 TEUs through March, compared to 694,167 TEUs for the same period last year. That marks an increase of 11 percent for the first quarter. 

The latest data from PIERS shows that while the U.S. container trade overall has contracted by more than 5 percent year-to-date, Port Houston has expanded by a similar amount. Nevertheless, in March Port Houston saw a total of seven blank sailings.

Port Houston’s Bayport and Barbours Cut container terminals are important to the local, state and national economies as well as the supply chain, Executive Director Roger Guenther noted. Cargo moving across our docks reaches some 100 million residents as well as exporters and manufacturers throughout America’s heartland.

“We must remain open for business to help international commerce continue during this difficult period,” Guenther said. “We also must support the economy with the necessary infrastructure to rebound when this global pandemic is brought under control.”

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Caption: Harris County Commissoner Adrian Garcia with port staff.

Port Houston hosted Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia Aug. 30 for a briefing about Foreign Trade Zone no. 84, which is managed by Port Houston.

The program’s history and how it supports regional economic development and jobs was discussed. One of the largest zones in the nation, Port Houston’s FTZ 84 is top in the U.S. for total merchandise received.

There are 250-plus FTZs in the United States. Texas is the most active state in the country with a total of 32 zones. More than 150 companies in the Houston region have utilized and benefited from this program. Most are large exporters and manufacturers, but FTZs also are an effective tool for medium and small companies, helping them save money and grow their businesses.

The main benefits of the program include the ability to defer, eliminate or reduce federal import duties. Therefore, companies that bring goods into the zone may store them or manufacture products free of any federal tariffs until after the merchandise leaves the zone. This creates U.S. jobs and encourages exports.

The total value of cargo in Port Houston’s FTZ 84 is more than $9 billion and that number is expected to grow.

The post Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia Receives FTZ Overview appeared first on Port Houston.

Caption: Busy truck gates at Bayport Container Terminal.

Port Houston’s Bayport and Barbours Cut container terminals combined handled more than 11,000 gate moves in one day for the first time ever Aug. 28. Service levels included sub-60-minute dual transaction turn times.

“These numbers were not possible years ago,” Randall Morris, vice president of operations for Canal Cartage Company wrote on LinkedIn. The port has made investments in its assets by strategically planning for capital project improvements at its facilities.

This efficiency milestone follows the recent approval for a truck gate expansion at the Barbours Cut Terminal. The project consists of about 23 acres of new pavement at the existing Barbours Cut Terminal. Major components of work include the demolition of existing pavement and structures, new pavement, additional truck gate lanes and the construction of two new buildings and underground utilities.

Port Houston handles nearly 70 percent of all containers that move through the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and volume is growing rapidly due to surging demand for imports and a robust export base driven by petrochemical and resin markets.

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The Spirit of Melbourne called at Port Houston’s Bayport Container Terminal.

Port Houston received the maiden voyage and is the only U.S. port of call for a new direct service that global ocean carrier CMA CGM launched in July with Marfret. The MedCaribe service will connect the U.S. Gulf, Mexico, Central America (Costa Rica), the Caribbean and the Mediterranean markets. The first vessel, the Spirit of Melbourne, called the port’s Bayport Container Terminal July 15.

The rotation includes: Houston; Veracruz, Mexico; Manzanillo, Panama; Moin, Costa Rica; Algeciras, Spain; Malta; Livorno, Italy; Genoa, Italy; Marseilles, France; Barcelona, Spain and Valencia, Spain.

“Port Houston is excited to add this new service to our ever-growing global portfolio and looks forward to the positive economic developments that these markets will bring to Houston and the region,” said Port Houston Trade Development Director Dominic Sun.

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Port Houston maiden voyage plaque presentation with Port Houston staff, UAL representatives, M/V MarMalaita vessel Captain Slepchenko and stevedore Schroder Marine.

Universal Africa Lines (UAL), a conventional ocean transportation carrier that specializes in handling project cargo, breakbulk and containers, has announced that it will now call Port Houston’s City Docks as part of its U.S. Gulf/Mexico to West Africa liner service. The change was effective with the first regular vessel call of the M/V MarMalaita July 10.

UAL offers two to three sailings per month direct from Houston to West Africa. The company specializes in servicing the oil and gas industry and tailoring logistics solutions for clients shipping to difficult areas. UAL also has a fleet of more than 4,000 containers including reefers, high cubes, open tops and flat racks, with the ability to provide a multitude of shipping options, including door-to-door service.

UAL chose Port Houston due to the available dedicated laydown area for project cargoes and berth availability, both of which provided added flexibility to UAL’s multipurpose fleet. This is particularly important considering the host of UAL’s cargoes that range from helicopters to subsea trees.

“Port Houston is excited about our new partnership with UAL and that they are entrusting us with their services here at the port’s city docks,” said Dominic Sun, director of trade development for Port Houston.

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Caption: Port Houston container terminal truck gates.

Port Houston recently executed a successful technology upgrade to NAVIS N4, a terminal operating system that optimizes planning and management of container and equipment moves at the port’s container terminals. The system is used for daily operations that include road, vessel, yard planning, billing and reporting.

Port Houston upgraded from version N4 2.6.34 to version N4 3.6.9, which required new infrastructure. The upgrade was performed by Port Houston’s technology, operations and IT personnel over a weekend after months of preparation and testing. With this advancement, Port Houston aims to improve and maintain a competitive edge consistently with business and technology innovations.

“The project’s success was a collaboration of efforts put forth by multiple departments,” said Port Houston Terminal Operating Systems Manager Mayra Ruiz. “The NAVIS upgrade will allow us to capitalize on new technologies and industry development.”

The upgrade embodies Port Houston’s goal of becoming America’s distribution hub for the next generation by providing increased support and scalability for customers. Further, the program adds improved security and operational performance with new features and functions.

Port Houston will continue to take the necessary steps to equip the business for the future and provide value-added services to our clients as upgrades are continued throughout the organization.

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ study of potential improvements to the Houston Ship Channel is nearing completion. The study, that began in 2015, has been conducted in partnership with Port Houston and has examined the feasibility and national benefits of various widening, deepening and other improvements for the channel. This will be the eleventh major improvement project to the waterway over its century and a half history.

As the local sponsor of the waterway, maintaining and improving the Houston Ship Channel is the top priority for Port Houston. The improvements being studied seek to ensure that the waterway safely continues to accommodate the growth of commerce in the greater Houston region. “We hope to make this a model project for the nation,” said Port Houston Chief Port Infrastructure Officer Rich Byrnes.

The improvements are needed as soon as possible, so Port Houston is working with the Corps, Congress, the administration as well as many local partners and stakeholders to expedite the approval and funding of this major project. The project is expected to cost one billion dollars, and port officials would ideally like the project to begin construction within the next few years.

“Through commitment and principles learned from our predecessors, and working together… our forward momentum is accelerating,” said Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther.

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Caption: RTG cranes transiting the Houston Ship Channel in 2018.

The Port Commission in June awarded a contract for nine new diesel electric container yard cranes for Port Houston’s Bayport Container Terminal.

The yard cranes are needed for the facility to support projected growth in import and export volume growth and maintain the highest levels of service to industry partners, including vessel productivity and truck turn times. The cranes are powered by hybrid drives with battery packs charged by a small diesel engine and are equipped with the latest technology in the container shipping industry.

The contract for the equipment was awarded to Konecranes Finland Corp., which was selected after the request for proposals process was completed. The cranes will provide support to the 50-acre expansion of Container Yard 7. Construction is ongoing and scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2020. Opened in 2007, the Bayport terminal is about 60 percent complete.

While construction to expand Bayport continues, Port Houston’s additional container terminal, Barbours Cut, continues to be modernized. A $287 million capital plan for 2019 is primarily focused on container yard and wharf renovation.

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