Rising Container Volumes Reported at Houston and New Orleans Ports

Container import demand softening as retailers clear distribution centers

Imports of steel, which helped carry Port Houston to some record-breaking months during 2022, were down 30% year over year in February to 327,655 tons (Photo: Jim Allen)

In February, the ports of Houston and New Orleans on the Gulf Coast reported robust cargo volumes, with plastics and resins helping to drive exports of loaded containers.

Import Growth Slows, But Port Houston Experiences an Increase in Exports

In February, Port Houston experienced a 15% increase in container volume compared to the same month in the previous year, reaching 313,452 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

Roger Guenther, the executive director of Port Houston, said during the port's monthly meeting on Monday that cargo activities have been strong for the first two months of the year compared to 2022. The overall tonnage across all terminals has increased by 7% compared to last year.

In February, import containers rose 20% year over year (y/y) to 159,787 TEUs, although they were 7% lower than January. Steel imports, which contributed to Port Houston's record-breaking months in 2022, decreased by 30% y/y in February to 327,655 tons.

Export containers increased by 11% y/y to 153,665 TEUs, and the total export tonnage grew by 9% y/y to 2.2 million tons.

Guenther mentioned that ports throughout the country are experiencing a decline in import demand as retailers work to clear inventory from their nationwide distribution centers. Including empty import containers, total imports fell by 4% y/y in February to 2.3 million tons.

Guenther explained that the United States is experiencing a significant decline in container terminal demand, particularly for container imports in Houston. In addition, he stated that retailers across the nation have large inventories in their distribution centers and that imports will likely continue to decrease throughout the first half of the year. Guenther anticipates a rebound in volume in the second half of the year.

Jeff Davis, Port Houston's chief operations officer, also noted that imports are decreasing due to reduced cargo from Asia. He stated that while the current month shows an increase, it is starting to decline compared to the last six months of 2022. Furthermore, empty containers are not being returned to Asia and coming back as full containers.

Davis added that there are no container ships waiting to enter the port since the ship queue has reached zero. He recalled that over the past two years, there were a few ships waiting to enter the facility, peaking at around 30 ships six months ago.

In February, ship calls dropped by 6% y/y to 581 vessels, and barge calls at the port decreased by 29% to 262.

Container Cargo at Port of New Orleans Sees a Significant Increase

The Port of New Orleans handled 38,456 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in February, a 33% increase compared to the same month the previous year.

Plastics, resins, and chemicals were the most prevalent containerized goods moving through the port in February.

The port's spokesperson, Kimberly Curth, informed FreightWaves that the total number of containers in February was higher than in February 2022. She added that this positive trend indicates that export demand is growing.

However, breakbulk cargo experienced a 35% year-over-year (y/y) decline in February 2022, with a total of 125,580 short tons.

Steel and rubber emerged as the month's leading breakbulk commodities.

The port managed 12,723 Class I rail car switches in February, a 22% year-over-year increase. Six Class I railroads, including BNSF Railway, CN, CSX, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific, operate in the city and are supervised by the Port of New Orleans.

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