In his monthly report, Chief Executive Officer Alec G. Dreyer noted that February was a tough month with significant fog-related impacts throughout the port, including 11 consecutive days when port activities were adversely affected by fog delays or were shut down entirely. “Coming out of this lengthy fog slowdown, the Houston Pilots handled a record 95 vessels in one day, a testament to their commitment to keeping the Houston Ship Channel open for business,” Dreyer said. In spite of the fog conditions, steel had an excellent month in February, as the Port Authority handled more than 230,000 tons as compared to 125,000 tons in February 2010, an 84-percent increase. “Year to date, steel is up 740,000 tons or 69 percent over last year, giving us a nice boost going into the strong summer season,” Dreyer said. “Turning Basin revenue for the first two months is up some 23 percent, which is directly related to the strong increase in steel.”
TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) volumes were down 6 percent, but container tonnage was down only 2 percent in February versus last year. Dreyer also noted that year to date, TEU volumes are flat compared to last year, while container tonnage is up 2 percent overall. Container volumes for March looked reasonably strong through the first three weeks of the month, and Dreyer predicted a return to a stronger growth mode by month’s end.