U.S. Gulf Coast port
Shipping heavy equipment from the Port of Galveston
Galveston is a RoRo and breakbulk port: machinery rolls aboard at the Pier 39/40 RoRo terminal and project cargo lifts at Pier 34, while containers and flat racks go through Houston, since Galveston names no container terminal[1][2].
Official website: Port of Galveston (Galveston Wharves). Terminal names and figures on this page come from its own publications, listed under Sources.
Container, flat rack, RoRo and breakbulk here
| Method | At this port | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Container | No | The port lists containers among the cargo it handles, but names no container terminal or container cranes[1]. Use the Port of Houston |
| Flat rack | No | Flat racks need a container service, so they go through Houston[1]. Use the Port of Houston |
| RoRo | Yes | Pier 39/40 T-Head RoRo terminal, served by Wallenius Wilhelmsen, K-Line and ARRC, for farm and construction machinery and vehicles; Pier 30–32 also takes RoRo[1]. |
| Breakbulk | Yes | Pier 34 for general and project cargo, including wind blades and towers[1]. |
Terminals and rail
Union Pacific and BNSF serve the port, with the Galveston Railroad switching cars on the island[4]. The 1,410-foot berth at Pier 39/40 is part of a $106 million cargo expansion[2].
Questions about shipping from Galveston
Can I ship a container or flat rack from Galveston?
Not as a rule. The port names no container terminal, so containers and flat racks from the Houston area load at Barbours Cut or Bayport in Houston.
Where does RoRo cargo load in Galveston?
At the Pier 39/40 T-Head RoRo terminal in the West Port cargo complex, and at Pier 30–32.
Auction yards that ship through this port
Equipment auction yards for which the Port of Galveston is one of the recommended export ports, by road distance from the yard (OSRM, OpenStreetMap).
- Ritchie Bros. Houston, TexasHouston (Humble), Texas71 mi, about 1.5 h
- Ritchie Bros. Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth (Lake Worth), Texas329 mi, about 6.5 h
- Ritchie Bros. Oklahoma City, OklahomaOklahoma City, Oklahoma497 mi, about 10 h
- Ritchie Bros. Kansas City, MissouriKansas City (Odessa), Missouri806 mi, about 16 h
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the documents below, each checked on the date shown. Carriers and authorities revise them, so we confirm the current figure when we book.
- [1]Port of Galveston, Port facilities and capabilities, checked October 18, 2026
- [2]Port of Galveston, Port of Galveston opens new berth with first cargo vessel call, checked October 18, 2026
- [3]Port of Galveston, Cargo and vessels, checked October 18, 2026
- [4]Port of Galveston, Hazard mitigation plan (2025), checked October 18, 2026
Send us the machine and the destination
Give us the model or the measured dimensions and weight. We come back with the method, the sailing and a price, and the figures behind them.