SIMIC

THE Port of Houston's container exports continue to grow via its Bayport and Barbours Cut Container Terminals providing a September volume of 124,739 TEU, up 21 per cent year on year, reports London's Port Technology.

The trend of increasing export volumes is expected to continue as the demand for resins remains high. Port Houston exports various types of resins, such as PE, PVC, and PP.



Port Houston is by far the top US exporter of resins with 59 per cent share of the export market. According to Port Houston, primary export destinations are China, Brazil and Belgium.



Said Port Houston executive director Roger Guenther: "Houston is the plastic packaging capital of the US and Port Houston is committed to expeditiously getting those export cargoes through our facilities and on their way to their global destinations."



Loaded import volumes at Port Houston were 156,161 TEU in September, a 12 per cent decrease from the previous September and an eight per cent decrease year to date.



Through September, overall container volumes at Port Houston were down four per cent, totalling 2.8 million TEU.



General cargo at Port Houston's breakbulk facilities has decreased by 22 per cent year to date, while steel imports have decreased 15 per cent. In September, total throughput via Port Houston terminals was down seven per cent to 37.9 million tons.



However, auto import units remain robust, up 65 per cent year to date compared to the same period in 2022.



"Like many ports across the country, Port Houston has seen an expected decline in container import volumes compared to the remarkable numbers seen in 2022," Mr Guenther said.



In August, container volume at Port Houston declined by 20 per cent compared to the same month last year, recording a throughput of 307,624 TEU.