Galveston Harbor named Top 50 US cargo gateway

GALVESTON, Texas - A total of 12 million tons of cargo moved through the Galveston Harbor in 2021, placing it 43rd among the busiest U.S. ports and waterways.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a 6% increase in cargo tonnage over 2020 boosted Galveston’s ranking up two spots in the list of 150 ports and waterways. 

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"What's important about that is you know, it moves us up in line for federal funding. Because when they start looking at ports, they look at how much tonnage goes through these ports, and the important thing is we continue to grow and to be diversified," stated Port Director Rodger Rees.   

"What we do mostly here from the Port of Galveston is heavy equipment, a lot of wind energy, and components related to that, as well as a lot of farm equipment." 

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The port has also seen an increase in cruise ships making it the fourth most popular cruise port in the U.S.  

"When you get right down to it, it's our location," stated Rees. "And you start thinking about how quickly a cargo ship, a cruise ship, can be in the open water from Galveston, in comparison to other ports in the Galveston basin, you know we're the fastest." 

Rees says there is still a lot of room for growth, development, and partnerships to ensure the port of Galveston continues to be successful.