Container flows in August surged in Houston and New Orleans, while global demand for crude oil continued to fuel exports through Corpus Christi, Texas.
Port Houston reports 20% rise in container volumes in August
Container cargo increased by 20% year over year in Port Houston to 367,653 twenty-foot equivalent units.
Port officials said the increase in container movements is normal and not reflective of a surge in imports or exports prior to a possible work stoppage by members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA).
More than 25,000 ILA members could walk off the job at ports along the East and Gulf coasts when their employment contract with ports represented by the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) expires at midnight on Monday.
“Our exports are primarily manufactured products in the petrochemical and the port industrial complex,” Charlie Jenkins, CEO of Port Houston, said during the port’s monthly commission meeting on Tuesday. “We have a mixture of consumer goods and the products that go out to make consumer goods. That is what’s in our container market. I don’t believe we’ve seen significant spikes or unusual Christmas season peaks that are different from normal. People are pretty much staying the course.”
From January through August, the port handled 2.8 million TEUs, an 11% year-over-year increase from the same period in 2023.
Loaded export volumes increased by 25% year over year in August to 188,270 TEUs. Loaded imports increased 14% year over year to 179,383 TEUs.
General import cargo was down 18% year over year in August at 496,169 tons. Steel imports increased 15% year over year to 339,898 tons, while steel exports rose 344% year over year to 71,535 tons.
Port Houston recorded 770 ship calls in August, an 8% year-over-year increase, while barge calls totaled 331, a 7% year-over-year improvement.
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Port of New Orleans reports spike in container moves, slip in breakbulk cargo
The Port of New Orleans reported moving 49,950 TEUs in August, a 36% year-over-year increase from the same period in 2023.
While cargo containers increased in August, New Orleans recorded a 31% year-over-year decline in total breakbulk tonnage at 82,460 short tons during the month. The top breakbulk commodity was steel, according to port officials.
“August had the highest container volume since the end of fiscal year 2021. Port NOLA handled 49,950 TEUs in August for a total of 86,216 TEUs this fiscal year, representing a 6% increase when compared to the first two months of fiscal year 2024,” Kimberly Curth, Port of New Orleans spokeswoman, told FreightWaves.
The Portof New Orleans’ fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.
The port handled 10,775 Class I rail car switches in August, a 25% increase from the same year-ago period. The port handles switching operations for six Class I railroads: BNSF, CN, CSX, CPKC, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific.
Crude oil shipments buoy Port of Corpus Christi in August
The Port of Corpus Christi reported 18.1 million tons of total cargo movements in August, a 1% year-over-year increase from the same month in 2023.
The port posted a 2% year-over-year increase in crude oil shipments during the month, handling 11.3 million tons, compared to 11.1 million tons in 2023.
While imports of crude oil declined 6% year over year to 832,560 tons in August, exports totaled 10.4 million tons, a 2% year-over-year increase compared to the same year-ago period.
Petroleum shipments decreased 4% year over year in August to 5.3 million tons, with exports totaling 4.3 million tons during the month.
Dry bulk cargo increased 25% year over year to 831,403 tons, while bulk grain cargo volumes totaled 325,661 tons in August, an 8% year-over-year decline from 2023
The Port of Corpus Christi had 418 barge calls in August, a 12% year-over-year decline. Ship calls during August totaled 214, a 1% year-over-year decrease compared to 2023.