In 2022, the Port of Houston recorded the largest general cargo volume in its history, handling 55 million tons of cargo.
Port Houston chairman, Ric Campo highlighted Project 11 for widening and deepening the Houston Ship Channel as an important milestone, saying that “dredging is 99% complete on Segment 1A of the Houston Ship Channel.”
Segment 1A consists of about 18,000 meters of waterway running from Bolivar Road to Redfish Island. The US$1 billion project’s first phase began in June of last year and is anticipated to be finished in the current month.
The Port Commission granted more than US$300 million in new capital projects in 2022, setting a new record for Port Houston’s continuous investment in development and infrastructure. This year, another US$400 million is expected to be spent on boosting port capacity.
To keep accomodating the increasing cargo in the Port Houston, the executive director of the port, Roger Guenther, said that “Port Houston has to maintain over US$1.3 billion worth of assets each year and reinvest to add new infrastructure and cargo handling equipment.”
Port Houston was given four Seaport and Rail Yard (SPRY) funds totalling US$1,983,255 to replace 26-yard tractors and four forklifts with new emission-reducing equipment as part of its strategy and emission-reduction targets.
The port also obtained confirmation for another award of US$950,443 to repower rubber tyred gantry Cranes to hybrid.
Meanwhile, on 1 February, a sustained import dwell fee was implemented at Port Houston to help preserve fluidity at the Bayport and Barbours Cut Container Terminals and address long-term dwell. The US$45 fee will be charged per unit per day starting on the eighth day after the expiration of free time, as defined in Tariff No. 15 Subrule 095 and Tariff No. 14 Subrule 093.
