Houston Ship Channel - Port of Houston

The Port of Houston continues to set records as container volume surges, highlighting the importance of improvements underway at the complex.

“More than 900,000 container TEUs moved through the public facilities over the first three months of 2022, our largest quarter ever by far,” said Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther in a statement.

The Port of Houston consistently ranks No. 1 in foreign trade tonnage among all seaports nationwide. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Houston handled more than 275 million short tons of cargo in 2020, about 50 million tons more than any other U.S. port.  

To keep up with the rapid pace of growth, the Houston Ship Channel’s Project 11 is underway. The $1 billion project, comprised of eight sections, will widen the 52-mile channel by 170 feet along its Galveston Bay reach, from 530 feet to 700 feet. Currently, ships must perform the so-called “Texas Chicken” maneuver to pass each other. The project also includes deepening some upstream segments to 46.5 feet.

Earlier this year, federal officials granted more than $142 million in funding to complete segment three of Project 11. Completing segment three, which involves Barbours Cut, will allow larger container vessels to move through the terminal.

“This federal funding is essential to keep Project 11 on track and bring to fruition a safer, faster, and cleaner ship channel for all users,” said Guenther in a statement in January. “This investment and continued partnership with the USACE will enable our ship channel to keep leading the way in supply chain efficiencies and meet the demands of new markets and supply chains.”

Project 11 is expected to be completed in 2025, but it isn’t the Port’s only infrastructure improvement project underway. In December, the federal government awarded the Port $18.3 million to develop and expand the Bayport Container Terminal. The project will increase storage capacity by creating 39 new acres of container yard.

Houston handles over 70% of all container traffic on the U.S. Gulf Coast and ranks No. 7 among the nation’s busiest container ports. According to the Partnership’s latest analysis in its Global Houston report, the Port of Houston handled 2.7 million loaded containers TEUs (twenty-foot-equivalent units) in 2021, an increase of 10% from 2020. 

Port officials have also announced plans to achieve a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions footprint by 2050 by upgrading technology, improving infrastructure and equipment, and using alternative fuels and clean energy sources. According to the Port, improvements over the next three years include installing smart lighting, improving navigation efficiencies and creating 800 acres of new wildlife habitat.

The Port is a major component of international business in Houston. More than 17% of the region’s economy is tied to exports alone. Combine that with foreign direct investment in the metro area, international air travel and other global ties and it’s easy to see why Houston depends on the international economy today more than ever. 

Learn more about Houston’s global business ties and register for the Partnership’s International Business Month events – an in-depth look at Houston's thriving international connections and our position as one of today's great global cities.