Houston Pilots Association News

Oil and gas exports from the United States have been severely disrupted by Hurricane Laura, with nearly a million barrels per day (bpd) of crude exports likely reduced this week by closures of U.S. Gulf Coast terminals and disruptions at ports.The hurricane also temporarily suspended operations at several liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in the world’s third largest exporter of the super-cooled gas, with shipments on track to fall to their lowest in 18 months.Laura made landfall early Thursday near the Texas-Louisiana border…

The Port of Houston, the United States' largest energy export port, began reopening to commercial shipping on Thursday after a day-long closure due to Hurricane Laura, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Ports along the Texas and Louisiana coasts were closed as the Category 4 hurricane churned up the Gulf of Mexico and went ashore in Cameron, Louisiana, early Thursday. The storm brought hurricane winds and high seas to the region.The Port of Houston, a major import and export hub for fuel, chemicals and consumer goods, closed on Wednesday.

Shipping along the Houston Ship Channel was limited to one-way traffic on Monday after a barge collided with a deep-draft ship that spilled petrochemicals into the waterway over the weekend, officials said.About 9,000 barrels of gasoline spilled into the channel near Bayport, Texas, when a 755-foot (230-m) tanker collided with a Kirby Inland Marine tugboat towing two barges containing the fuel. One barge ruptured and the other capsized. The one-way traffic limitation is due to the barges blocking part of the channel.

The probable cause of the 2015 collision of the Conti Peridot and the Carla Maersk in the Houston Ship Channel was the inability of the pilot on the Conti Peridot to respond appropriately to hydrodynamic forces after meeting another vessel during restricted visibility, and his lack of communication with other vessels about this handling difficulty controlling his vessel, said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) during a public meeting on Tuesday. Contributing to the circumstances that resulted in the collision was the inadequate bridge resource management between the master and the pilot on the Conti Peridot. The collision of the 623-foot long…

American Maritime Safety, Inc. (AMS) announced that the Houston Pilots Association, Maersk Line, Limited, Un-Cruise Adventures and The Vane Brothers Company would be the recipients of the 2013 AMS Safety Awards. AMS is a nonprofit maritime trade association, which facilitates the maritime industry's compliance with international shipping protocols and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) regulations. The AMS consortium is comprised of more than 400 vessel owners and operators. It is the leading maritime industry association specializing in regulatory compliance in the United States. Every year, the AMS Safety Advisory Committee presents member companies with Safety Awards in recognition of their dedication to preserving the marine environment and promoting safe vessel navigation…

The third annual Maritime Youth Expo will be held at the Port of Houston's Bayport Cruise Terminal, Saturday 6, April 2013. Hundreds of area high school maritime students and Sea Scouts will have the opportunity to hear mariners talk about opportunities on tow boats, harbor tugs and barges, learn about maritime salvage and see salvor equipment in action, and watch state-of-the-art Coast Guard helicopters and small boats perform on-water demonstrations. The Port Authority's M/V Sam Houston, fireboats and the Emergency Command Center will be on display. Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Texas General Land Office…

Honored for Leadership: Houston Pilot receives prestigious award at Maritime Luncheon. Captain Paul Brown of the Houston Pilots received the Paul Cuffee Leadership Award from Texas Southern University on July 1st, 2011 during its Summer Maritime Academy Session II Closing Ceremony Luncheon. The Paul Cuffee Leadership Award honors those who demonstrate not only extraordinary leadership skills, but those who are extremely dedicated by their selfless mentoring to fellow pilots. Brown was recognized along with John Etta with the Port of Houston Authority, Capt.

Thick fog halted all traffic on the Houston Ship Channel Wednesday, the Houston Pilots association said. Pilots who guide ships along the 54-mile channel stopped boarding vessels at 10:10 p.m. CST (11:10 p.m. EST) Tuesday evening. "Nothing has moved since then," an official with the pilots association said. The official said he did not know when the fog was expected to clear and shipping could resume. The ship channel is a busy waterway lined with oil refineries and petrochemical plants that links the Port of Houston to Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. - (Reuters)

Fog closed the Houston Ship Channel on Monday morning, the Houston Pilots association said. Pilots stopped boarding ships at 8 a.m. CST (9 a.m. EST/ 1400 GMT), bringing traffic to a halt, and the fog had not dispersed some four hours later at midday, an official said. The closure of the channel had not yet resulted in a big backlog of ships waiting to enter or leave the channel, he said. The Houston Ship Channel is a busy 54-mile (90 km) waterway lined with oil refineries and petrochemical plants that links Houston to Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. A U.S. Coast Guard official in New Orleans, another major Gulf Coast oil-refining and petrochemical center, said shipping in that area was not affected by fog on Monday.

Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee (HOGANSAC) will hold its next public meetings on September 5, 2002 (working groups only) and September 19, 2002 (full committee), at the offices of the Houston Pilots Association in Houston, Texas. The notice appears in the July 25, 2002, Federal Register. Source: Marine Legal Update

The Houston Pilots Association christened the pilot boat M/V Bayou City at the Port of Houston Authority's Sam Houston Pavilion last month. "The addition of the M/V Bayou City to our fleet will greatly enhance our organization's total commitment to safety on the Houston Ship Channel and excellence in service to the maritime shipping industry," said Capt. Mike Morris, presiding officer of the pilots. The $6 million M/V Bayou City vessel measures 72 ft. in length with a breadth of 43 feet. It has a depth of 16 ft., a draft ranging from 10 to 12 ft., and can travel at a top speed of 21 knots. It is equipped with two 4,000-hp Caterpillar Series 3412 engines that have a fuel capacity of 7,500 gallons. The M/V Bayou City will be the fourth working vessel in the Houston pilots' fleet.

The Houston Pilots Association will christen the pilot boat M/V Bayou City at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 12, at the Port of Houston Authority's Sam Houston Pavilion located at 7300 Clinton Drive. and Commissioner Janiece Longoria; members of the Houston Pilots Association, elected officials, maritime industry officials and community leaders. "This will be a momentous occasion for the port and the entire Houston Ship Channel industry base," said Capt. Mike Morris, presiding officer of the pilots. The $6 million M/V Bayou City vessel measures 72 feet in length with a breadth of 43 feet. It has a depth of 16 feet, a draft ranging from 10 to 12 feet, and can travel at a top speed of 21 knots. with two 4,000-horsepower Caterpillar Series 3412 engines that have a fuel capacity of 7,500 gallons.

(PHA) last Thursday welcomed congressional leaders, the U.S. to further fuel the port's remarkable growth. Jim Edmonds. economy growing," he said. ribbon stretched 150 feet across the channel. guests onboard a paddlewheeler, The Colonel. today," said Tom Kornegay, Executive Director of the Port Authority. (from 400 feet) and deepening the channel to 45 feet (from 40 feet). allow slower barge traffic to navigate the channel. and widening project also helps protect water and air quality. Houston Authority and the U. precedent-setting role in improving water and air quality. Edmonds. government agencies formed in 1990. successful. Members of the BUG include Port of Houston Authority, U.S. General Land Office, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. U.S.

M/V Isabella sank two miles west of Ft. Pierce, Fla. USCG Group Miami dispatched a Coast Guard Station (CGSTA) Fort Pierce utility boat (UTB). The crew was removed by the UTB prior to the vessel sinking. Passenger vessel Monarch of the Seas went aground in Saint Philipsburg, Dutch Saint Maarten. The P/V was returning to port because its pumps could not keep up with the flooding after hitting a reef during its departure from port. The National Response Center received a report of a tug pushing three barges that ran aground along the Lower Mississippi River near Helena, Ark. The lead barge experienced damage resulting in the release of 1,700 barrels of unleaded gasoline. The remaining product was removed and the barge was floated off the rocks.

Fog halted shipping on the Houston Ship Channel late on Jan. 10, but traffic was expected to resume Jan. 11 as temperatures rose and visibility was restored, the Houston Pilots Association said. The ship channel is a busy waterway lined with oil refineries and petrochemical plants that links the Port of Houston to Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.