Container activity at Port Houston, the largest container port on the United States Gulf Coast, began slowing in late March as expected as the coronavirus outbreak continued to threaten countries across the globe, including the U.S.

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Container operations at Port Houston. (Photo: Business Wire)

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. For the full year, Port Houston handled 773,087 TEUs through March, compared to 694,167 TEUs for the same period last year. That is 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. Nevertheless, in March Port Houston saw a total of seven blank sailings with additional vessel omissions anticipated as carriers manage capacity globally in response to shifts in market demand.

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 primarily serves Houston, the State of Texas and surrounding region but also 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.”

Port Houston 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.

About Port Houston

For more than 100 years, Port Houston has owned and operated the public wharves and terminals of the greater Port of Houston – the nation’s largest port for the foreign waterborne tonnage and an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas and the U.S. nation. The Port of Houston supports the creation of nearly 1.35 million jobs in Texas and 3.2 million jobs nationwide, and economic activity totaling $339 billion in Texas – 20.6 percent of Texas’ total gross domestic product (GDP) – and total of $801.9 billion in economic impact across the nation. For more information, visit the website at PortHouston.com.

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