Houston port signs $340,000 contract to get more traffic from Asia

News was prepared under the information support of Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and international Shipping "Hellenic Shipping News".

30 Sep 2010

Houston's port authority has signed a $340,000 two year contract with Singapore-based shipping agency Ben Line Agencies Limited to promote trade between Asia and Houston. "With the Panama Canal expansion project scheduled for completion in 48 months, the rules of the game have changed," said Ricky Kunz, the vice president of origination at Port of Houston Authority (PHA).
"U.S. ports are competing intensely to increase their shares of the Asian market.
"We're confident that our partnership with Ben Line will help position us for the future and open new opportunities for commercial development in Asia."
Some 152,077 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) arrived at Houston port in August 2010, up about 2% year-on-year, according to Alec G. Dreyer, CEO of PHA.
Dreyer added that August's steel throughput at the port was 285,000 tons, four times higher than in August 2009.
According to PHA, Houston port ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage and second in overall total tonnage.

Source: Portworld