Houston, Texas · Gulf Coast
Port Houston container demurrage & detention dispute guide
The Gulf's largest container port, where Port Houston itself runs both terminals, exports of resin and other loaded boxes keep growing, and Express Pass governs truck appointments.
- Authority
- Port Houston (Port of Houston Authority of Harris County)
- Volume
- 4.30 million TEU in calendar 2025, a record (Port Houston)
- Container terminals
- 2
The port at a glance
Port Houston is the largest container port on the Gulf Coast and posted a record 4.30 million TEU in 2025, with loaded exports up 7% for the year. Unlike most US gateways, the port authority itself operates both of its container terminals, Barbours Cut in La Porte and Bayport in Pasadena, which means Port Houston acts as the marine terminal operator for storage and terminal charges. Export volume is significant: petrochemical resin and other products from the Texas Gulf Coast leave in containers, while imports feed the Houston, Dallas and San Antonio distribution markets.
D&D exposure comes from both directions. Importers face demurrage when containers are reported available but cannot be picked up, because of holds, yard congestion or limited appointment capacity. Exporters, especially resin shippers who load boxes at packaging warehouses and move them to the terminal, face detention when earliest return dates shift with vessel delays or when bookings roll. Both terminals have expanded quickly (Bayport's Wharf 7 opened late in 2025), and the construction and equipment additions have at times changed gate and yard routines.
The mistake shippers make in Houston is assuming the carrier and the terminal bill the same way. Port Houston publishes its own tariff for terminal charges, while the ocean carrier bills demurrage and detention under its tariff or your service contract. Two billing parties can mean two invoices for overlapping days, and each must independently satisfy Part 541.
Container terminals
Barbours Cut Container Terminal (La Porte)
Port Houston · Gate automation and expanded intermodal rail capability
Bayport Container Terminal (Pasadena)
Port Houston · Wharf 7 completed late 2025, adding more than 500,000 TEU of capacity
Appointments & empty returns
- Port Houston's Express Pass is the truck appointment system for trucking transactions at Barbours Cut and Bayport, fully implemented in late 2024 with appointment and time-slot features.
- Earliest return dates, export receiving windows and empty return instructions are published by Port Houston and the ocean carriers for each vessel and service.
Chassis
Chassis come from lessor and pool providers including DCLI, which operates a dedicated on-terminal chassis area at Bayport, and the Gulf Consolidated Chassis Pool, which has had a footprint at both Bayport and Barbours Cut.
Where D&D builds up at Houston.
Two billing parties
Port Houston bills terminal charges as the MTO, and ocean carriers bill demurrage and detention. Overlapping invoices for the same days are common. Each invoice must carry its own § 541.6 elements.
Export ERD shifts and rolled bookings
Resin and other exporters load inland and deliver against ERDs that move with vessel ETAs. Rolled bookings and early gate refusals create detention on boxes ready to ship.
Appointment capacity
Express Pass time slots can fill at peak. Document the absence of slots before LFD with screenshots for each billed day.
Terminal expansion work
Wharf construction, crane deliveries and yard reconfiguration have been ongoing at both terminals. Operational disruption on billed days should be recorded.
Hurricanes and fog
Tropical storms close the Houston Ship Channel and terminals, and fog restricts vessel movement. Billed days during closures are a clear incentive-principle issue.
Chassis availability
Chassis come from multiple pools. When the pool a trucker uses has no equipment at the terminal, pickups stall.
Free time and disputes at Houston
In Houston, terminal storage and related charges are set by Port Houston's published tariff, while carrier demurrage and detention free time comes from the ocean carrier's tariff or your service contract. Both Port Houston, as an MTO, and the ocean carrier are billing parties under Part 541, so each invoice must include the 20 minimum elements of § 541.6, including the applicable tariff rule or contract section, free time and its start and end dates, and the specific dates charged.
For exports, check that detention invoices include the earliest return date. For imports, check the container availability date against Port Houston's record of holds and release. Days when Express Pass offered no slots, or the terminal was closed for weather, did not serve the incentive purpose described in 46 CFR § 545.5.
Each billing party must issue within 30 calendar days of the date the charge was last incurred (§ 541.7), and you have at least 30 calendar days from issuance to request relief (§ 541.8). ATAHSKIA matches Port Houston and carrier invoices for the same container, flags duplicated days, and sends separate relief requests to each billing party inside its window.
Houston D&D FAQ
Who is the billing party for terminal storage in Houston?
Port Houston operates both Barbours Cut and Bayport and publishes its own tariff, so it is the MTO for terminal charges. Ocean carriers separately bill demurrage and detention under their tariffs or your contract.
What is Express Pass?
Port Houston's truck appointment system for trucking transactions at its container terminals, fully implemented in late 2024. Screenshots showing no available slots before LFD support a demurrage dispute.
Can resin exporters dispute detention from rolled bookings in Houston?
Yes. If the carrier rolled the booking or the ERD moved after the container was loaded and ready, the billed days did not serve detention's incentive purpose. Submit a relief request with booking history within the § 541.8 window.
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