Growing pains at Houston: Texas port dominates box handling in the Gulf, but is near capacity. (Ports).

Most container terminals are deserted on weekends. Not Barbours Cut at the Port of Houston. Its dockworkers are busy after hours, stacking and shifting containers to make room to handle the next ship. Empty boxes sit six-high on storage yards, nearby lots and next to the street.

"We are operating at Barbours Cut at capacity," said Tom Kornegay, the port's executive director.

Two decades ago, Houston was competing with New Orleans for supremacy among Gulf Coast container ports. Today it's clear that the Texas port has emerged the victor. Houston handles two-thirds of the container traffic through the Gulf. New Orleans is a distant second with under 25 percent. Houston's container volume has more than doubled in the past decade to approach 1.2 million TEUs in 2002, …