Port Houston saw a dip in container movements in June, while crude oil exports rose at the Port of Corpus Christi.
Port Houston sees 2% decline in container volume
Port Houston saw decreased container volumes in June, recording a 2% year-over-year decline to 331,864 twenty-foot equivalent units.
The port handled 169,665 TEUs in container exports during the month, a 3% year-over-year decrease. Imports in June fell 2% year-over-year to 162,199 TEUs.
Resin exports continue to drive demand at Port Houston’s container terminals, which hold a 60% market share for resin commodities, according to a news release.
Total cargo volumes at Port Houston are up 3% at 2.17 million TEUs, compared to the same period in 2024. Total revenue tonnage was up 9% year over year in June at 5.4 million tons.
“While the downward trend monthly continued in June, loaded TEUs are up 1% versus last June, and total TEUs are up 3% for the year,” Ryan Mariacher, chief port operations officer, said during a monthly commission meeting on Tuesday. “Export loads have really carried the way for us in recent weeks, up 16% for the month. For the container terminals, we’re up to 14 blank sailings.”
Imports of steel declined 32% year-over-year in June to 290,775 tons. Steel exports were up 22% at 3,925 tons for the month.
General export tonnage was up 22% year over year in June at 1.3 million tons. Total export tonnage increased 16% to 3 million tons.
General import cargo increased 35% year over year in June to 668,504 tons. Total import tonnage was flat year over year at 2.4 million tons.
Loaded import containers were down 9% year over year in June at 139,453 TEUs. Empty imports were up 103% at 22,746 TEUs.
Loaded exports were up 16% year over year at 133,040 TEUs, while empty exports were down 38% at 36,625 TEUs.
Ship calls for June were down 11% year over year at 644 vessels. Barges calling Port Houston increased 8% year over year to 342.
Charlie Jenkins, CEO at Port Houston, said they are already seeing more cargo movements in July.
“July has been very strong and year to date we’re doing well, better than most ports in the country,” Jenkins said.
Port of Corpus Christi posts gains during June
The Port of Corpus Christi moved 17.2 million tons of total cargo in June, a 3.6% year-over-year increase from the same month in 2024.
The port handled 10.62 million tons of crude oil during the month, a 9% year-over-year decrease.
While crude oil movements were down in June, the port handled 65.2 million tons during the first half of the year, a 3.8% increase over the same period last year.
During the first half of the year, shipments of liquified natural gas increased around 10.8% to 8.5 million tons. Additional increases during the first half of the year occurred in commodities such as dry bulk, breakbulk and other bulk liquids, according to a news release.
The Port of Corpus Christi’s customers also moved a record 51.1 million tons of commodities through the Corpus Christi Ship Channel during the second quarter.
The Port of Corpus Christi had 206 ship calls in June, a 9% year-over-year increase from 2024. The port recorded 427 barge calls during the month, an 5.6% year-over-year decline compared to the same year-ago period.
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