"U.S. ports are competing intensely to increase their shares of the Asian market.
"We're confident that our partnership with Ben Line will help position us for the future and open new opportunities for commercial development in Asia."
Some 152,077 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) arrived at Houston port in August 2010, up about 2% year-on-year, according to Alec G. Dreyer, CEO of PHA.
Dreyer added that August's steel throughput at the port was 285,000 tons, four times higher than in August 2009.
According to PHA, Houston port ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage and second in overall total tonnage.