Port Houston has completed commissioning four new STS cranes at Bayport Container Terminal, bringing the terminal’s operational fleet to 21 cranes as the port continues to expand capacity amid strong cargo growth.
The port took delivery of four STS cranes from ZPMC in April, destined for the Bayport Container Terminal. The delivery forms part of a US$113m order for eight STS cranes placed in 2024, with the first four units from the series delivered in January 2026 for installation at Barbours Cut Container Terminal. All eight STS cranes have a SWL of 65t, with a 65m outreach and a maximum lifting height of 48m. The commissioning of the four STS cranes at Barbours Cut Terminal was completed in June, bringing the full fleet of 17 cranes into service at the facility.
The port has also awarded a construction contract to Russell Marine LLC for the reconstruction of wharves 5 and 6 at Barbours Cut Terminal. The project will allow the terminal to accommodate larger cranes and vessels as part of Port Houston’s longer-term capacity expansion plans.
The rehabilitation work includes surveying, dredging, drilled shaft foundations, concrete work, installing crane rails, fender systems and utilities. The port has also allocated US$100m for the second stage of the project, which is scheduled for completion by Q1 2028.
The infrastructure upgrades come as Port Houston’s public terminals continue to outperform wider US cargo trends. Through June, the terminals handled more than 28.2 million tonnes of cargo, up 3% compared with the first half of 2025.
Container volumes remained strong, with loaded imports reaching 177,097 TEU in June, a 27% increase year on year, while loaded exports rose 2% to 131,011 TEU. Total container volumes reached 389,962TEU during the month, up 8% from June 2025. In the first six months of the year, loaded imports totalled 1.02 million TEU, up 7% from 963,836 TEU during the same period last year. Total tonnage across Port Houston’s public terminals reached 28.2 million tonnes year to date, compared with 27.4 million tonnes in the first half of 2025.
For June alone, public terminal tonnage stood at 4.6 million tonnes, up 4% from 4.5 million tonnes a year earlier.
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