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.

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Port Houston hosted the Chairman and Administrator of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (Philippines), Wilma “Amy” Eisma, and members of the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston during their first visit to Port Houston June 11.

The officials discussed the port’s history, East Asia-Houston trade lanes, port connections and infrastructure. The representatives also received a briefing and a oontainer terminals tour.

“We are thrilled to begin a new partnership with Port Houston as this is an iconic beginning between our two regions,” said Eisma.

Port Houston’s cargo value growth with the Philippines has increased 64 percent since 2014. Some of the country’s leading import commodities by tonnage through the port include iron, steel, plastics and furniture.

“We welcome the opportunity to learn more about our new partners and discover innovative ways to create mutually beneficial opportunities,” Port Houston Chief Commercial Officer John Moseley said.

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Caption: Port Chairman Janiece Longoria, Port Commissioners Clyde Fitzgerald and John Kennedy and Brian Fielkow, CEO of Jetco Delivery Co. with Harris County Judge Ed Emmett.

Port Houston participated at the Harris County International Trade and Transportation Conference, hosted by Harris County Judge Ed Emmett's office Dec. 5.

Executive Director Roger Guenther served on a panel with Mediterranean Shipping Company and MTS Logistics that focused on creating capacity for more cargo and freight in the region.

“We have room to grow; we are planning for the future,” Guenther said regarding capacity and the availability of equipment at the port’s facilities. He also shared that the port is looking at customer demand, freight mobility, terminal yard space and vessel size considerations.

One of out of every three exported container from Port Houston contains plastic resins, noted Guenther.

Jim Crane, owner of the World Series winning Houston Astros and the CEO of Crane Capital Group, was the keynote speaker during the event and discussed a variety of topics, including the port.

“The more we invest in the port, the more we can do,” Crane said. ‘We also have three great railroads here. We have the ability to run more business.”

There was also a polyethylene market overview by IHS Markit and a trucking and real estate panel.

Port Houston's FTZ Program and Economic Development Manager Shane Williams was a moderator during a foreign trade zone session. Port Houston manages FTZ 84, which is one of the most successful foreign trade zones in the United States.

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Caption: Port Chairman Longoria and Greater Houston Partnership CEO, Bob Harvey.

On Nov. 29, the Greater Houston Partnership's “State of the Port” event honored Port Chairman Janiece Longoria, who is completing her third and final term. More than 500 industry professionals and public officials attended.

Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther provided the address, sharing that the past several years have been the most significant growth period in the port's history. This year will set records, he noted.

“As we sprint toward the finish of 2018, we are proud of another record-breaking performance across all sectors of our business,” said Guenther. “Our Turning Basin terminals have seen a solid year of handling steel and general cargo, and container activity through Barbours Cut and Bayport facilities has been simply phenomenal.”

Chairman Longoria also provided remarks and participated in a fireside chat discussion with Guenther that was moderated by Marc Watts of the Friedkin Group.

A total of $287 million of new port projects are planned for 2019, all with funds being generated by operating revenues at Port Houston public facilities. 

The port continues to make investments to its terminals to stay ahead of the demand curve in container volume and is reinvesting in its breakbulk facilities, noted Guenther.

Guenther also thanked Chairman Longoria for her continued leadership. “Janiece has worked in the best interest of the institution and for the economic prosperity of the region.”

“She has successfully built upon the foundation of our port predecessors, generating jobs, generating growth and has strengthened our rightful place as the leading port in the nation,” added Guenther.

The post Port Chairman Recognized at 2018 State of the Port appeared first on Port Houston.

Port Houston welcomed a business delegation from Qingdao City, China Nov. 21. Staff highlighted the port’s geographic location, surrounding facilities, Houston Ship Channel connections and history. The port has three East Asia all-water container services via the Panama Canal.

Economist Jordan Frisby provided background of the port’s terminals and shared information about the Houston region’s foreign trade zone, FTZ 84, which is sponsored and maintained by Port Houston. Frisby also noted the port’s large economic impact, providing over 50,000 direct jobs in the region.

“We are a busy port by global standards,” said Frisby.

Port Houston is an emerging gateway for the East Asia container trade into Texas and neighboring states, a lane that has been dominated by Southern California ports for decades. Key commodities in the Port Houston – China container trade include plastics, machinery and beverages. Houston also provides a strategic location for warehousing and distribution centers for companies looking for access to local Texas markets.

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Port Houston exceeded the two million TEU mark in September. Container volume at Port Houston’s container terminals remains vigorous as cargo movement continues to lead last year’s pace showing a 10 percent growth through the third quarter.

In 2015, history was made when Port Houston broke the two million twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) barrier for the first time.

“In fact, we already surpassed the two Million TEU mark in September, the earliest by far that we have reached that milestone,” Executive Director Roger Guenther said in his report to the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority during its regular monthly meeting held in October.

All indicators point toward container activity to maintain this stride through the end of the year. “There is still a lot of activity across our docks and the trends are positive through Port Houston terminals as we make the stretch run through the end of 2018,” Guenther said.

Import steel at Port Houston terminals continues at a solid rate through the third quarter, pushed by the strength of production in the energy sector, Guenther noted in his report. The general cargo terminals handled 3.5 million tons year-to-date with more than 478,000 tons in steel recorded in September alone.

Overall tonnage for the year reflects a healthy growth of 8 percent over last year, with more than 31 million tons recorded.

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Caption: The Port Commission at the port's September public meeting.

The investments being made at Port Houston continue to pay off. As a result of the completion of the widening and deepening of its Bayport Channel and work on what’s known as the Bayport flare, Port Houston is seeing larger and larger vessels calling its container facilities.

Port Houston just received its largest container ship to date, a 9,500 twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) vessel.

As another example of the growing demand, in July the port recorded the largest number of container lifts on one vessel in its history at 4,800 lifts. That record has since been shattered twice, the latest being in September when more than 5,700 container moves were handled on one of the port’s East Asian services.

Port Houston leadership concluded the month of August by delivering strong results. Overall tonnage for the year at nearly 28 million tons reflects an 8 percent increase over last year. Steel tonnage remained steady through August, reflecting growth of 29 percent for the year.

Year-to-date activity continues to be strong with a port-wide increase of 11 percent overall in TEUs. Loaded container units are up 10 percent compared to last year.

Port Houston alone handles more than two-thirds of all U.S. Gulf container traffic.

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Port Houston welcomed a group of sorghum buyers from China at the Bayport Container Terminal for a tour in conjunction with the Sorghum Checkoff and the U.S. Grains Council July 19.

Sorghum, a top choice of livestock feed in China, is one of many Texas agricultural exports.

Port Houston Senior Manager of Trade Development Ty Reasonover met with the Chinese representatives and provided an overview of the port and its operations.

“Port Houston is committed to handling agricultural goods as efficiently as possible,” Reasonover said. Port Houston supports the expedited flow of cargo that provides a quick, reliable, hassle-free way to sell our American goods to global consumers.”

In addition to its portfolio of two ultra-modern container terminals, the port has a six million bushel grain facility, now operated by a new tenant, the Lansing Trade Group. The facility is directly connected by road and rail served by Union Pacific, BNSF and Kansas City Southern railroads.

Port Houston also has three weekly all-water services connecting East Asia to Houston via the Panama Canal and China is one of the fastest-growing trading partners for Port Houston. “The TransPacific trade is extremely important to our overall cargo mix here at the port,” added Reasonover.

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Asia Cargo News named Port Houston the Best Seaport in North America, after tallying results from thousands of shippers and industry experts around the globe, Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther told the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority during its May meeting.

Asia Cargo News announced the results at an awards ceremony held in Shanghai, China, with 10,000 shippers and industry experts participating in the survey, according to the publication. The honor is particularly significant because the “nomination and voting results were determined by industry service users, rather than judges,” noted Guenther.

The AFLAS awards recognize industry organizations for demonstrating leadership, consistency in service quality, innovation, customer relationship management and reliability.

Port Houston’s representative in Asia, Ben Line Agencies, accepted the award on the port’s behalf.

“It is just a great honor to be recognized, and I wanted to thank all of the hard working employees that we have that help make this happen,” added Guenther.

Written by leading transport and cargo industry journalists, Asia Cargo News is a news publication focused on Asia trade.

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More than 400 people attended the third annual JOC Gulf Shipping Conference hosted by Port Houston and organized by The Journal of Commerce and parent company IHS Markit, April 16-18.

The attending professionals discussed shipping trends and the efficiency and importance of commerce moving through U.S. Gulf ports. The event provided an in-depth look at the latest trends, problems and solutions emerging for cargo owners importing and exporting through the Gulf.

“With the ongoing growth of the population in Houston and along the Gulf Coast, the amount of cargo moving through our ports is only going up,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who provided welcome remarks. The amount of industry activity on the Gulf Coast also presents opportunities for the growth of international trade and business.

“It is an exciting time for the industry along the Gulf Coast, which is engaged in positive change and growth, and everyone is working hard to ensure that we stay ahead of the curve,” Port Chairman Janiece Longoria said during a recent Port Commission meeting. “We are thrilled to host this two-day conference and the business that it brings to our region.”

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