Breakbulk and liquids are likely to be the mainstay of future growth for US Gulf ports.
Assertions that container growth will be so rapid that the area could overtake the East Coast are way off the mark. A recent analysis of three months in 2011 shows that just under 200,000 teu moved through the Gulf compared with 1.5m teu through the East Coast.
Oil & gas traffic is bound to increase, largely because of fracking (shale gas) export potential. LNG import facilities are being examined to see if they can be converted into export terminals. Ethanol imports could also increase because the US import tariff on Brazil ethanol (distilled from sugar cane and much cheaper to produce than the corn-based method in the US) ended this year.
The total value of all types of international cargo passing through Gulf ports was $500bn in 2011, according to figures compiled this month by the Institute for Trade and Transportation Studies, with imports accounting for $300bn. Houston accounted for $160bn of total inbound and outbound while New Orleans was second at $65bn. Morgan City was the third most important port at $34bn. However, virtually all of that was inbound oil and gas products.
In terms of type of product, oil products accounted for $300bn, followed by industrial machinery at $21bn. The most important trading partner was Mexico at $66bn, with Saudi Arabia second at $35bn.
