As shifting trade policies, tariff regimes, and energy transitions reshape global commerce, Port Houston CEO Charlie Jenkins urged the maritime industry to adopt a forward-looking strategy to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving environment. Speaking at the 4th Annual Houston International Maritime Conference (HIMC25), Jenkins said that ports, carriers, and supply chain players must “proactively adapt” to a world where trade is becoming “more regional, less global.”

The four-day event, held in downtown Houston from Sunday through Wednesday, brought together nearly 900 industry leaders, including port executives, ocean carriers, petrochemical producers, economists, and trade policymakers. The sessions examined North American supply chain trends, container and tanker market dynamics, and the Gulf Coast’s growing role as a linchpin of U.S.–Mexico trade.

A Call for Maritime Evolution

“This conference is about supporting our industry, our region’s prosperity, bringing everybody together for thought leadership and dialogue on the future of Houston’s maritime industries,” Jenkins said during his keynote. “We’ve done a lot to make sure the channel is safe, efficient, and competitive — but we have to stay ahead of global change.”

Port Houston, one of the largest ports in the United States by tonnage, has seen consistent growth as a key node for both petrochemical exports and containerized goods. Jenkins highlighted that Houston’s port system is larger than 97% of U.S. ports, emphasizing that maintaining competitiveness will require modern infrastructure, digitalization, and adaptive trade strategies as logistics networks evolve under new market pressures.

Global Trade Realignment: “More Regional, Less Global”

In a session titled “Global Currents: Navigating the Shifting Tides of Industry and Economy,” Paul Bingham, director of trade and supply chain analysis at S&P Global, said global commerce is undergoing a permanent realignment.

“Supply chains will continue to be redesigned in response to tariffs and industrial policy,” Bingham said. “We expect global trade to shift into regionalized blocs — particularly around Southeast Asia and North America.”

Bingham projected that nearshoring and reshoring trends will deepen supply chain integration between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, especially as the USMCA trade agreement undergoes its next review cycle. Gulf Coast ports like Houston, he added, are well-positioned to benefit from cross-border manufacturing flows and rising freight volumes tied to nearshoring.

“If nearshoring accelerates, we’ll see more cross-border freight with Mexico directly, and that changes how ports like Houston serve supply chains,” he said.

Economic Headwinds: Slower Local Growth Amid National Demand

Jesse Thompson, senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, noted that while Houston’s economy remains resilient, the region is facing slower job growth in oil and gas, particularly in upstream sectors.

Crude production from the Permian Basin is expected to remain flat through 2026, limiting hiring in the sector even as LNG export capacity continues to expand. “Everything coming out of the ground — a huge portion of it — has to go on a boat, because there’s no local consumer for it,” Thompson said. “That means port activity remains strong, but upstream growth will be subdued.”

The economist characterized Houston’s broader economy as “steady but constrained,” with logistics, manufacturing, and energy exports offsetting softness in oilfield services.

Texas Freight Corridors Under Pressure

A panel led by Carolyn Mays, senior director at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), highlighted the state’s ongoing struggle to keep up with surging freight demand.

“Texas is the freight state — the trade state — and everything we do ties back to how goods move through our infrastructure,” Mays said. She added that TxDOT plans to invest $145 billion over the next decade in transportation projects, including port access roads, border corridors, and truck-intensive distribution lanes.

However, even with record investment, Mays acknowledged that Texas is “growing too fast for the system to catch up.” Population growth, industrial expansion, and port traffic are all outpacing infrastructure capacity, creating logistical “pinch points” that threaten supply chain efficiency.

A Forward Path for Maritime Competitiveness

Jenkins and other conference speakers agreed that collaboration, digital modernization, and investment alignment will be crucial to ensuring Houston and the Gulf Coast remain central to North American trade. As global trade patterns fragment and energy markets shift, the maritime sector’s ability to adapt could determine whether Houston retains its status as a gateway for U.S. industrial and export growth.