Crowley and Port Houston have announced a new weekly container service linking the U.S. Gulf with two principal Central American gateways, the companies said in a report carried by reports on 21 August 2026.
The announcement states that the Gulf-Central America Express Service will call Port Houston and sail to Santo Tomás de Castilla in Guatemala and Puerto Cortés in Honduras on a weekly basis, establishing a regular container connection between the U.S. Gulf and those Central American ports.
Crowley was described in the report as a global leader in logistics, marine and energy solutions, and the company is named as the provider of the new service in partnership with Port Houston. The source item identified Santo Tomás de Castilla and Puerto Cortés as two of Central America’s largest and fastest-growing trade gateways.
New service links key gateways
The new weekly rotation formalises a direct, scheduled container link between Houston and the two Central American ports, intended to provide regularity for shippers and receivers moving cargo on the Gulf–Central America axis. Regular weekly sailings can reduce reliance on ad hoc sailings and transhipment patterns by offering a predictable string of calls between the three ports.
Trade and connectivity considerations
By connecting an established U.S. Gulf gateway with Santo Tomás de Castilla and Puerto Cortés, the service creates a recurring liner option for cargo flows between the Gulf and Central America, which may influence routing choices for importers and exporters. The report frames the two Central American ports as significant regional gateways, emphasising their roles in the expanding trade networks of the isthmus.
The item in reports provides the core operational outline of the Gulf-Central America Express Service and identifies the partners and port calls involved without listing vessels, exact transit times, or commercial schedules. Further operational details and commercial conditions were not supplied in the summary published on 21 August 2026.
The new service underlines continuing attention by carriers and terminal authorities to strengthen scheduled connections between the U.S. Gulf and Central America, responding to demand for greater predictability in container liner services, as set out in the report. Crowley’s announcement, as presented by reports, frames the initiative as a material addition to the region’s shipping options.