Container shipments rose at Port Houston in April; while the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, and New Orleans recorded slight declines.
Port Houston records 5% rise in container flows in April
Port Houston handled 324,177 twenty-foot equivalent units in April, a 5% year-over-year (y/y) increase compared to the same month in 2023.
Year to date, the port has handled 1.4 million TEUs, an 18% y/y increase.
“For the first quarter, container volumes are very strong through March,” Roger Guenther, executive director at Port Houston, said during the port’s monthly commission meeting on Friday. “For the first three months [of 2024], TEUs are much stronger in both the import and export loaded containers.”
Loaded container TEU imports rose 4% y/y to 146,910 in April, while loaded container exports increased 8% y/y to 119,302 TEUs.
Year to date, loaded container imports are up 12% y/y to 632,886 TEUs, while loaded exports are up 14% y/y at 523,426 TEUs.
The rise in exports is attributed to the demand for regionally produced automotive, furniture, cotton and plastic resin goods, according to port officials.
Guenther said shippers that utilize Port Houston’s container facilities are seeing increased demand for imported goods.
“It’s much stronger than what they even anticipated. Looking forward, the National Retail Federation, one of our representatives of the retailers that import cargo, which a lot of that comes from Asia, are saying that the remainder of the year of imports is going to remain very strong,” Guenther said.
Total import tonnage was 2.4 million tons in April, a 15% y/y decrease and an 8% month-to-month decline.
The port’s total export tonnage was 2.5 million tons, an 11% y/y increase, but a 10% m/m decline.
Port Houston operates the Bayport and Barbours Cut Container Terminals, as well as the Turning Basin Multi-Purpose facilities.
“Our multipurpose facilities and our general cargo and Turning Basin facilities are down, but that’s always kind of a cyclical environment. Fuels are also down a little bit,” Guenther said.
Imports of steel increased 35% y/y in April to 289,331 tons, while other commodities, such as
fertilizer, molasses and tallow, have shown gains, Guenther said.
Port Houston recorded 693 vessel calls in April, a 1% y/y increase from 2023. Barge calls at Port Houston for the month totaled 308, a 13% y/y decline.
Related: Gulf Coast ports report cargo volume surge in March
Port of New Orleans container volume slips in April
The Port of New Orleans’ container volume decreased 6.5% y/y in April to 41,802 TEUs.
Breakbulk cargo totaled 114,354 short tons in April, a 29% y/y drop compared to the same month in 2023.
Port officials said top containerized exports included plastic resins and various chemicals, while imports included coffee and wood products.
“There was an increase in breakbulk imports, mainly driven by steel and bagged cargo,” Kimberly Curth, Port of New Orleans spokeswoman, told FreightWaves. “Breakbulk volume in April was up by 39% from March, mainly driven by an increase in bagged cargo — cement and rubber. One of the commodity groups that have shown a positive trend this fiscal year so far is project cargo, with a 5% growth year-over-year, as well as lumber, which we started seeing in August.”
Port of New Orleans container volumes fiscal year to date reached 419,432 TEUs, a 12% y/y increase compared. The port’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.
“Loaded imports have grown about 3% year over year to date, while loaded exports are up by more than 8% year over year,” Curth said. “Regarding our available empty supply, import empties [fiscal] year to date are up by almost 33% year over year.”
The port also recorded 32 vessel calls in April.
Related: Port of Eagle Pass, Texas, fastest-growing border crossing in the U.S.
Crude oil exports fall at Port of Corpus Christi
The Port of Corpus Christi posted a 2.4% y/y dip in total shipments during April, handling 16.7 million tons of cargo compared to 16.3 million tons in 2023.
Shipments of crude oil totaled 10 million tons for the month. Exports of crude oil totaled 9.2 million, a 3% y/y decrease. Imports totaled 834,439 tons, a 7% y/y increase.
Shipments of petroleum totaled 4.8 million tons during April, a 6% y/y decline. Exports of petroleum fell 7% y/y at 3.7 million tons for the month, while imports declined 3% y/y to 1.1 million tons.
Dry bulk cargo decreased 13% y/y to 728,715 tons in April, while bulk grain shipments rose 452% y/y to 344,511 tons.
Corpus Christi handled 193 ships in April, a 2.5% y/y decline, while barge calls decreased 18% y/y to 404.