Port Houston Welcomes ZIM Shipping Company’s Gulf Toucan Service

Port Houston’s Barbours Cut Container Terminal. Photo courtesy of Port Houston.

Port Houston has announced that ZIM Shipping Company's new line, Gulf Toucan, arrived at the Barbours Cut Container Terminal on Feb. 5. This new addition reinforces Port  Houston's position in the international shipping market and contributes to the economic growth of the  Texas region, allowing for more cargo resources.       

“We are excited to welcome ZIM Shipping Company’s new Gulf Toucan service to Port Houston,” said Roger Guenther, executive director at Port Houston. “This new service highlights the significant investments we have made in the Port's infrastructure to build capacity, as well as our ongoing growth in Latin American trade. In fact, the trade of containerized goods between Port Houston and Latin America has increased by 33% over the last five years."  The arrival of the Gulf Toucan marks a significant milestone for Port Houston, which is ranked as the fifth-largest container port in the United States. This service is a premium line from the east coast of South America to the Gulf of Mexico and the United States that includes eight 2,800 TEU vessels. ZIM is one of the world’s leading container shipping companies, operating a fleet of more than 80 vessels and offering services to over 180 ports worldwide. 

“We are excited to introduce a brand new Latin American service from the U.S. Gulf owned and operated exclusively by ZIM Integrated Shipping. The ZGT Service continues our ongoing expanded Latin American network and will provide excellent transit times from Houston in the East Coast of South  America and will also provide service to our Central American, Caribbean and West Coast South America customers through connections to our network in Kingston, Jamaica and Cartagena, Colombia. We look forward to working with Port Houston and both new and existing customers to make this new service a success,” said Daniel Sutton, SVP Gulf Pacific, ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd.

The Gulf Toucan service will operate on a line calling Buenos Aires – Montevideo – Navegantes or Itapoa – Paranagua – Santos – Rio De Janeiro – Cartagena – Kingston – Veracruz – Altamira – Houston – Mobile – Kingston – Cartagena – Santos – Buenos Aires.