U.S. Gulf Coast ports, particularly Houston and Mobile, are looking to take advantage of last year's significant increase in imports as carriers deploy new trans-Pacific and north-south services to the region through long-term capacity upgrades and intermodal rail projects.
Marine terminals in Houston,, rely on an off-terminal yard in the second half of 2022 to handle spills caused by a surge in container volumes and open their Saturday gates to reduce weekday congestion. Maritime terminals in Mobile also began charging for missed truck appointments to encourage liquidity.
in the middle of last year, the $1 billion-billion Houston waterway expansion project was officially launched, bringing greater safety, efficiency and economic growth to one of the busiest waterways in the United States.
The Houston Waterway Extension is known locally as "Project 11" because it is the 11th major construction project in the Houston Waterway's more than 100-year history. The expansion would widen the channel by 170 feet along Galveston Bay, from 530 feet to 700 feet. In addition, the project will increase the depth of some upstream sections to 46.5 feet, make other improvements in safety and efficiency, and create new environmental features.
The Houston Waterway Complex and its more than 200 public and private terminals, collectively known as the Port of Houston, is the largest waterway tonnage port in the United States and an important economic engine for the Houston area. The port has created nearly 1.35 million jobs for Texas and 3.2 million jobs for the nation, generating a total of $339 billion million in economic activity for Texas, accounting for 20.6 percent of Texas' gross domestic product (GDP) and $801.9 billion million in economic impact for the nation.
in July, Houston's container volume rose 10% year-over-year, rising to 20% in August and 26% in September.
container volumes at the port of mobile in the united states increased significantly in the last six months. The port's most impressive growth was its intermodal container transshipment facility (ICTF), which grew by 118.6 percent compared to the same period last year. In addition, in the first half of 2022, shipments of dry goods and refrigerated goods increased by 8.7 and 25%, respectively.
the deepening and widening of the waterway within the port is expected to be ready by 2025. Once completed, the Port of Mobile will be the deepest port in the Gulf of Mexico.
"APM Terminals has been an incredible partner to the Port Authority, and we are pleased to have recently announced our third expansion in six years, which will nearly double the throughput of the terminal to 1 million TEUs per year by 2025," said Port Chief Commercial Officer of Beth Branch.
both Houston and Mobile are in the middle of major expansion projects, including dredging to allow larger ships to dock there, those projects will not be completed until 2025 at the earliest. In addition to dredging, the port has increased terminal capacity at staggered intervals.
Forwardernet.com