Business, Freight News, Sea

Port Houston Works Through Supply Chain Crunch

[ November 19, 2021   //   Gary G Burrows ]

Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther says that Houston is not immune to the challenges that ports across the nation are experiencing, as retailers rebuild their inventory to meet high demand. He noted that Houston docks are full, and the average ship waits about 60 hours before calling the port. However, Port Houston has been able to mitigate significant impacts on truck-turn times despite the increase in historic cargo volumes.
“We are working together with labor to turn ships around as quickly as possible,” Guenther said.
He added that since January, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) has been able to increase the numbers of people working ships on both the day and night shifts.
Guenther said he expects “the inherent continued growth of cargo at a rapid pace after the pandemic,” and plans are to sustain the accelerated investment in infrastructure.
Recently, the Port Commission approved a more than $2 million purchase of 16 additional energy-efficient yard tractors for the container yards, supported by a grant from the Seaport and Rail Yard Areas Emission Reduction Program (SPRY), to help reduce emissions of NOx by 93%. The Port Commission also authorized up to $400 million bond issuance to support the Houston Ship Channel widening and deepening program, Project 11.

Port Houston Works Through Supply Chain Crunch

Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther says that Houston is not immune to the challenges that ports across the nation are experiencing, as retailers rebuild their inventory to meet high demand. He noted that Houston docks are full, and the average ship waits about 60 hours before calling the port. However, Port Houston has been able to mitigate significant impacts on truck-turn times despite the increase in historic cargo volumes.
“We are working together with labor to turn ships around as quickly as possible,” Guenther said.
He added that since January, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) has been able to increase the numbers of people working ships on both the day and night shifts.
Guenther said he expects “the inherent continued growth of cargo at a rapid pace after the pandemic,” and plans are to sustain the accelerated investment in infrastructure.
Recently, the Port Commission approved a more than $2 million purchase of 16 additional energy-efficient yard tractors for the container yards, supported by a grant from the Seaport and Rail Yard Areas Emission Reduction Program (SPRY), to help reduce emissions of NOx by 93%. The Port Commission also authorized up to $400 million bond issuance to support the Houston Ship Channel widening and deepening program, Project 11.

Tags: Port Houston