USDA Partners with Port Houston to Support Container Chassis Supply

A drone image captures chassis at Barbours Cut container terminal in early 2020.
Image courtesy of Port Houston.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA) announced on June 16, 2022, its partnership with Port Houston to help establish a dedicated chassis pool system for “terminal use only” at Port Houston terminals.

Beginning earlier this year, Port Houston teamed with Frozen Protein Shipping Alliance to implement measures to address supply chain impacts. The program announced on June 16 helps do just that to improve service for shippers of U.S.-grown agricultural commodities and others.

According to the USDA, foreign sales of U.S. poultry and beef through the Port of Houston totaled a half-billion dollars in 2021. Still, limited availability of equipment can impact the export of these refrigerated cargos. “This new program will help better match chassis supply with storage demand,” said Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther. As expansion efforts continue at Port Houston, reefer racks (stacked refrigerated containers) are included in construction plans to provide even more refrigerated cargo capacity at the Barbours Cut and Bayport container terminals. These Port Houston public terminals handle nearly 70% of containerized cargo through the Gulf and is the sixth busiest container operation in the nation.