Despite being 50 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, the Port of Houston is a world center of waterborne commerce. With sophisticated cargo handling systems and a strategic location at the confluence of major rail, truck and air transportation systems, the Port is positioned to serve international industries.

The Port of Houston is made up of the Port of Houston Authority and the 150-plus private industrial companies along the Houston Ship Channel. All together, the port authority and its neighbors along the ship channel are a large and vibrant component to our regional economy.

The port is ranked first in the United States in foreign waterborne tonnage, second in the U.S. in total tonnage, and tenth in the world in total tonnage. A total of 211.7 million tons of cargo moved through the Port of Houston in 2006. A total of 7,548 vessel calls were recorded at the Port of Houston during the year 2006. 

The Port of Houston has an impressive listing of firsts, from unloading the world's first container ship to becoming the country's first port to meet the rigid ISO 14001 environmental standards. Click here to view the complete list.

Among Gulf of Mexico ports, the Port of Houston is the leader in containerized cargo.  In 2006, it handled more than 1.6 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units).

Total value of foreign trade through the Port in '06 is estimated at $103.1 billion, up 26 percent from ‘05. Leading trading partners by value in '05 were Mexico, Venezuela, Germany, Brazil and China. These five accounted for 28 percent of the '05 total value of foreign shipments.

Leading import commodities by value-petroleum and petroleum products, organic chemicals, industrial equipment and computers, motor vehicle parts and plastics-represent 69 percent of the value of foreign shipments through the port in 2006.

Overall, the public cargo and cruise vessel marine terminals operated by the Port Authority contribute close to 287,000 direct and indirect jobs throughout Texas, paying $2.8 billion of direct wages and salaries by those directly employed. 

In February 2003, Houston became one of only four New York Board of Trade-certified green coffee exchange ports in the United States.

About 90 steamship lines offer service linking Houston with 1,000 ports in 200 countries. It is also home to a $15 billion petrochemical complex, the largest in the nation and second largest in the world.

The latest figures (2000) show the port's public private marine terminals generate $10.9 billion in business revenues annually compared to the $7.7 billion showed in the last study completed in 1997.

Source: Port of Houston, Greater Houston Partnership