Maritime Industry Briefing: Port Houston Volumes Slip as Import Surge Fades; Carrier Consolidation Continues

## Port Houston Container Volumes Dip 6% in July Port Houston handled 369,899 TEUs in July, representing a 6% decline compared to the same month a year earlier, according to FreightWaves. The drop marks a notable shift from the elevated import volumes that characterised much of the preceding period, as front-loading activity driven by tariff uncertainty and supply chain hedging begins to normalise. The pullback is consistent with broader trends emerging across major U.S. gateway ports, where shippers who accelerated cargo movements earlier in the year are now drawing down inventory rather than placing new import orders. Analysts will be watching August and September figures closely to determine whether the July decline represents a temporary correction or the beginning of a more sustained softening in Gulf Coast container demand. Port Houston remains one of the busiest container gateways on the U.S. Gulf Coast, and any sustained volume reduction carries implications for regional logistics networks, warehousing demand, and intermodal rail capacity in the Texas market. --- ## Behnke Acquires AG Freight, Extending Reach to South Carolina Inland Port In a move that underscores continued consolidation in the North American trucking sector, Michigan-based Behnke Dedicated & Logistics has acquired AG Freight for an undisclosed sum, FreightWaves reports. The deal gives Behnke a strategic foothold near South Carolina's Inland Port Greer, a key intermodal facility operated by the South Carolina Ports Authority that connects the Port of Charleston to Upstate South Carolina and beyond. For a Midwest-focused dedicated carrier, the acquisition represents a deliberate push into Southeastern freight corridors — a region that has seen growing logistics investment as manufacturers and distributors diversify supply chains away from traditional coastal hubs. Proximity to Inland Port Greer positions Behnke to capture drayage and dedicated contract carriage business tied to Charleston's expanding container volumes. --- ## Border Enforcement: 385 Kilograms of Cocaine Seized at US-Canada Crossing Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers intercepted 385 kilograms of suspected cocaine concealed within a commercial truck at a US-Canada border crossing, according to FreightWaves. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the identity of the driver, the carrier involved, the declared cargo, or the method used to conceal the narcotics. The seizure serves as a reminder of the ongoing vulnerability of commercial freight channels to narcotics trafficking, and is likely to prompt renewed scrutiny of cross-border cargo inspection protocols. The incident is relevant to port and logistics operators who manage compliance programmes under customs and trade security frameworks such as C-TPAT and the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism equivalents in Canada.