In July, container movements at the ports of Houston and New Orleans saw declines, while the Port of Corpus Christi experienced a boost in freight flows due to an increase in crude oil shipments.
Port Houston
Port Houston’s container volume dropped 5% year-over-year in July, with a total of 325,277 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) handled. The decrease was partly attributed to disruptions from Hurricane Beryl, which forced the port to close from July 8-9 after the hurricane made landfall in Texas as a Category 1 storm. Additionally, a global systems outage caused by a faulty software update from CrowdStrike briefly shut down the port’s Barbours Cut and Bayport Container terminals on July 19.
Despite these challenges, Roger Guenther, Port Houston’s executive director, praised the team for their quick recovery and continued customer service. In July, Port Houston saw a rise in the movement of empty import containers by 17% year-over-year, reaching 12,727 TEUs, as global ocean carriers repositioned containers for import cargo. However, empty export containers declined by 14% to 42,378 TEUs.
Steel imports fell 14% to 367,915 tons, while steel exports dropped 40% to 18,955 tons. Overall, total tonnage across all facilities increased by 3% year-to-date, reaching 31 million tons. From January through July, container volumes were up 10% year-over-year, totaling 2.4 million TEUs. The port recorded 334 barge calls in July, a 16% increase from the previous year, though ship calls decreased by 4% to 665.
Port of New Orleans
The Port of New Orleans experienced a 19% decline in container volumes in July, handling 36,266 TEUs. Additionally, total breakbulk tonnage dropped by 7% year-over-year to 67,837 short tons. According to port spokeswoman Kimberly Curth, global supply chain challenges, including ongoing congestion in South American and Asian ports, disruptions in the Suez Canal, and the impact of Hurricane Beryl, contributed to the decline in containerized cargo.
In July, the Port of New Orleans saw imports of wood products, rubber articles, chemicals, and coffee, while exports included plastic resins, paper products, and various chemicals. Steel was the top breakbulk cargo during the month. The port also handled 10,846 Class I rail car switches in July, a 21% increase from the previous year, serving six Class I railroads.
Port of Corpus Christi
The Port of Corpus Christi reported a 13% year-over-year increase in crude oil shipments for July, handling 11.56 million tons. Crude oil exports totaled 10.8 million tons, marking a 13% increase, while imports rose 8% to 681,049 tons. However, petroleum shipments decreased by 3.7% to 5.12 million tons, with exports down 2.4% to 4 million tons and imports declining by 1% compared to July 2023.
Dry bulk cargo at Corpus Christi fell 21% year-over-year to 539,072 tons, while chemical bulk shipments rose by 3.2% to 272,579 tons. Bulk grain shipments also decreased by 8.5% to 266,665 tons. The port recorded 402 barge calls in July, a 21% decrease from the same month in 2023, and 206 ship calls, slightly up from 197 the previous year.
