Total November freight movements were up in Houston and Corpus Christi, Texas, and in New Orleans, boosted by imports of consumer goods and machinery and exports of crude oil.
Port Houston containerized freight soars 24% in November
Port Houston’s container volume in November recorded a 24% year-over-year increase to 369,361 twenty-foot equivalent units.
Port officials said November was the busiest month of the year so far for container shipments.
“This year has been nothing short of exceptional,” CEO Charlie Jenkins said in a news release. “Our record-breaking volumes speak to the trust our customers place in us, the dedication of our team, and our strategic investments to stay ahead of industry needs.”
Port Houston has handled 3.8 million TEUs from January through November — a 9% year-over-year increase compared to the same period in 2023.
Imports of steel increased 34% year over year in November to 356,782 tons. Exports of steel rose 1,026% to 38,883 tons during the month.
Loaded container imports rose 19% year over year in November, driven by consumer goods and machinery, port officials said.
Loaded exports were up 16% year over year, bolstered by resin shipments, which accounted for about 45% of the port’s export volumes.
Empty container exports jumped 59% year over year in November to 56,184 TEUs, while empty container imports rose 73% year over year to 14,475 TEUs.
Ship calls for November were up 6% year over year to 722 vessels. Barges calling Port Houston increased 13% year over year to 295.
Related: October freight traffic mixed at Gulf Coast ports
Port of New Orleans records increases in containers, breakbulk cargo
The Port of New Orleans reported total TEUs in November of 45,390, a 12% year-over-year rise compared to the same period in 2023.
“The top containerized commodities were plastic resins, various chemicals, and paper for exports. With imports, we had coffee, wood products and chemicals,” Kimberly Curth, Port of New Orleans spokeswoman, told FreightWaves in an email. “November proved to be a strong month with an overall increase of 36% as compared to October, due largely to improved schedule reliability.”
Breakbulk cargo was up 18% year over year in November, boosted by imports of steel.
“Port NOLA handled 117,046 short tons of breakbulk cargo in November, bringing the total short tons for the fiscal year to 472,544,” Curth said. “We saw an increase in natural rubber and steady steel volume, which are our top import breakbulk commodities, as well as a vessel with super sacks from Brazil.”
The port had 34 vessel calls in November, a 48% increase compared to October, Curth said.
The Port of New Orleans processed 9,597 Class I railcar switches in November, a 10% year-over-year increase. The port handles switching operations for six Class I railroads: BNSF, CN, CSX, CPKC, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific.
Port of Corpus Christi exports 10.5 million tons of crude oil
The Port of Corpus Christi in South Texas moved 17.8 million tons of cargo in November, an 11% year-over-year increase from the same month in 2023.
The port handled 11.5 million total tons of crude oil during the month, a 14% year-over-year rise compared to the same year-ago period. Exports of crude oil for November were 10.5 million tons, a 12% increase from November 2023.
Shipments of petroleum totaled 5.2 million tons during November, an 8% year-over-year increase. Exports of petroleum were 4.2 million tons for the month, a year-over-year increase of 11%.
Dry bulk cargo totaled 424,375 tons during the month, a 34% year-over-year decrease. Shipments of bulk grain totaled 222,536 tons, an 18% year-over-year decline.
Shipments of chemicals totaled 365,037 tons in November, a 67% year-over-year increase.
The Port of Corpus Christi had 208 ship calls during November, a 13% year-over-year gain from 2023. Barge calls declined 21% year over year to 351.