SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
GULF COAST TRADE AND LOGISTICS
Among the fastest-growing regions in the United States, the Gulf Coast— spanning Texas to Florida— boasts a robust network of shipping, trucking and intermodal services. The area is home to major seaports and inland river ports; a hub for both the natural gas and liquefied natural gas( LNG) trade; and handles container, project and breakbulk cargo.
“ The Gulf Coast continues to grow in importance as a logistics and manufacturing hub, driven by population growth, industrial expansion and its central role in energy and construction supply chains,” said Raul Alfonso, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Port Tampa Bay. Located on the eastern side of Tampa, Fla., about 25 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, the port accesses the Gulf via Tampa Bay shipping channels and serves the Tampa – St. Petersburg – Clearwater metro area.
“ The port serves Florida’ s largest consumer market and provides efficient access to the Southeast,” Alfonso said.“ Its location allows cargo owners to reach end markets quickly while maintaining strong connectivity to global trade lanes. With direct access to interstate highways, rail networks and nearby industrial users, the port offers flexibility and reliability— qualities that are increasingly important as supply chains prioritize resilience, diversification and proximity to market.”
Port Tampa Bay also plays a key role in serving Central Florida’ s demand for fuel and building and construction materials, supporting continued regional growth.
“ As Florida’ s population is projected to reach 25 million by 2030, demand for energy, housing, infrastructure and consumer goods continues to increase, driving growth across Port Tampa Bay’ s cargo base,” Alfonso said.
On the other side of the Gulf of Mexico, Texas-based Port Freeport— a deepwater port with direct access to the Gulf— sits about 60 miles south of the Houston Ship Channel, near the mouth of the Brazos River.
“ Port Freeport is an attractive gateway for carriers and shippers for myriad reasons, including the fact that ocean carriers enjoy one hour of transit time from the pilot station to the container terminal, but most importantly, the Freeport Harbor Channel,” said Phyllis
Saathoff, executive director and CEO at Port Freeport.“ The nearly complete Freeport Harbor Channel Improvement Project will boast a maximum water depth of 56 feet and a minimum of 51 feet to the container terminal, the deepest on the Gulf Coast.”
Freeport has also heavily invested in its container and cargo-handling facilities.
“ Shippers enjoy the use of a modern terminal with new infrastructure and ample space available to handle cargo surges,” Saathoff said.
As part of the terminal investments, Port Freeport recently acquired two super-post-Panamax gantry cranes, which became fully operational in November 2025 and have increased the container terminal’ s handling capacity. Additionally, the port also developed additional paved yard space and installed a new gate with direct access to the container terminal in 2025.
“ These improvements, combined with road improvements funded by the state of Texas, ensure that carriers and shippers can access the terminal safely and efficiently and deliver or receive cargo with efficient dispatch,” Saathoff said.
Top cargo types
In terms of tonnage, Port Freeport’ s top exports are liquid bulk energy products, led by LNG, liquefied petroleum gas( LPG) and crude oil.
“ The port has been and continues to be a liquid bulk port driven by exports, and private terminals along the harbor channel handle these commodities,” Saathoff said.“ We’ ve seen the greatest growth in the export of energy products occur in recent years, as the nation’ s third-largest LNG export facility and an LPG export facility commenced operation.”
Freeport’ s public facilities primarily handle dry cargo, dominated mainly by imports of refrigerated containers of green fruit, roll-on / roll-off( ro / ro) finished vehicles and steel products via breakbulk.
“ We’ ve seen the greatest shift in our steel segment, as the raw material transiting via Freeport to feed a worldscale pipe mill is being supplied in greater amounts from domestic sources,” Saathoff said.
Alternatively, Port Tampa Bay handles a very diverse cargo mix.
“ Energy-related cargoes, including petroleum products, remain a core component of our operations,” Alfonso said.“ Construction materials, such as aggregates, cement and steel, are also major drivers, supporting Florida’ s continued growth.”
In addition, the port handles containerized cargo, breakbulk and project freight, serving manufacturers, distributors and specialized shippers.
“ This balanced portfolio allows Port Tampa Bay to support both essential industries and emerging market opportunities,” Alfonso added.
These efforts support the port’ s role as a key economic engine for the region, generating an estimated $ 34.6 billion in economic impact each year.
Growth trajectory, tariff impact
In its 2025 fiscal year, Port Freeport handled 187,475 TEUs, an increase of over 90 % in container traffic at the port over the prior year.
“ The impressive growth is attributable to the addition of a new carrier, Network Shipping, providing weekly service and growth among the existing carriers,” Saathoff said.
Port Freeport is the only US port where Dole, Chiquita and Fresh Del Monte— the three largest multinational green fruit importers— call weekly. Network Shipping is a Fresh Del Monte company.
The port will continue to focus on growing its container, ro / ro and breakbulk segments.
“ We expect most of that growth will occur in the north-south trade lanes and some transatlantic and all-water Asia service growth,” Saathoff said.
Consistently ranked as Florida’ s largest port by tonnage, Port Tampa Bay has handled over 30 million tons of cargo annually in recent years. The port’ s container volumes have increased over 350 % since 2018 as it expands its role in regional distribution, supporting markets across Central Florida and the Southeast.
“ While year-to-year volumes can vary by commodity, overall throughput has remained strong, reflecting sustained demand across energy, construction and consumer supply chains,” Alfonso said.
Port Tampa Bay anticipates continued strength in energy- and constructionrelated cargoes, driven by population growth and infrastructure investment across Florida and the Southeast.
“ The port also sees opportunities for growth in containerized and specialized www. joc. com February 2, 2026 | Journal of Commerce 43