Houston Authority News

The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority met in a special session and awarded two of the largest contracts in the organization’s history. The Commission approved the staff’s recommendation to award Weeks Marine and Curtin Maritime Corporation contracts totaling $430 million to complete the remaining Galveston Bay segments of the Houston Ship Channel expansion project.“It’s an exciting day for Port Houston and the entire region and the millions of people who rely on the Houston Ship Channel for their livelihood and to bring them essential goods,” Chairman Ric Campo said.

Port Houston recorded its seventh consecutive month of double-digit container volume growth as increased consumer spending continues in the U.S.Container activity for September 2021 was 281,500 TEUs, up 11% compared to the same month last year, the port said. Year-to-date, TEUs are up 16% compared to 2020.Port Houston said its steel imports are also up, increasing 161% this month compared to September 2020 and are up 28% year-to-date. This growth reflects increased activity in the energy industry.

The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority met Tuesday in a special meeting to consider the first dredge contract for Project 11, the Houston Ship Channel billion-dollar expansion and deepening program.Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC was awarded up to $95,375,349 to dredge 11½-miles of the 52-mile channel, widening a major portion of the Galveston Bay reach from 530 to 700 feet. The work includes the construction of a new bird island and oyster mitigation.Port Houston negotiated multiple options and selected the approach with the most reduction in overall NOx emissions…

A Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Port of Houston Authority (Port Houston) was formally presented for the Houston Ship Channel's billion-dollar widening and deepening program, Project 11.The PPA is the official document committing Port Houston to the responsibilities of the project as the local non-federal sponsor. It details the terms of the channel infrastructure expansion, and most significantly, permits the start of dredging the federal waterway.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Monday announced more than $7.5 million in grants to nine Marine Highway projects. The funding, provided by MARAD’s America’s Marine Highway Program, will go toward enhancing existing services in Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, and Washington“This $7.5 million investment will improve our country’s vital fuel-efficient waterway transportation system, which makes an important contribution to exports and economic growth,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L.

The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority has decided to accelerate widening of the Houston Ship Channel, the nation’s busiest waterway.The Port Authority is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and other representatives of the federal government, as well as Port of Houston and Houston Ship Channel stakeholders, to obtain authorization and accelerated funding and completion, of a deepened and widened ship channel.“The Houston Ship Channel is open for business for all and will continue to be,” said Port of Houston Authority Chairman, Ric Campo.This project will be the eleventh significant widening and deepening of the channel since its conception…

In an unexpected reversal, it has been reported that the Houston Pilots yesterday notified Chairman Janiece Longoria of the Port of Houston Authority that they had withdrawn their latest application for a change in pilotage rates. Beyond this, the pilots requested in their letter dated October 18 that the application be removed from the agenda for the upcoming October 30 Board of Commissioners meeting.Upon being notified of the rate change application in September, no less than 15 shipping companies…

Reinforcing its three-decade-long presence in North America, transportation and logistics firm Bahri took part in Breakbulk Americas, being held from October 17-19, in Houston. The Bahri booth at Breakbulk Americas was opened by Mr. Sultan bin Abdullah Al-Angari, Consul General of Saudi Arabia in Houston, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the first day of the annual event in the presence of Amal Al-Ruwaii, Director for Trade and Investment, Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in United States of America…

Contanda Terminals LLC,  a  provider of bulk liquid storage and logistics services in North America, has announced a multi-year commercial agreement with the Port of Houston Authority for 339 acres of prime deep-water access property located on the Houston Ship Channel. The land acquisition enables Contanda to continue to develop its key strategic business objective of doubling its terminal storage capability over the next five years, and expanding into the bulk petrochemical and hydrocarbon markets. This will further strengthen the company’s presence along the U.S. Gulf Coast where project investments have surged since 2014 and Contanda already operates three other bulk terminals.

“Port Houston handled close to 10 million tons of total tonnage, reflecting an increase of eleven percent over 2016,” Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther announced during the April meeting of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority. During the first quarter of this year, Port Houston facilities handled 607,000 TEUs. Guenther said the majority of this increase is largely due to an increase in container volumes, which showed an increase of 18 percent.

The "Bronze Anchor Award" recognizes an individual, company or organization that has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to promoting the HISC mission and vision, and served as a leader and advocate for the welfare of seafarers. Guenther will be officially honored as a "Bronze Anchor Award" recipient at the HISC Maritime Gala to be held May 6, 2017. The gala will be held earlier in the year than normal and will coincide with the Seafarers' Center's upcoming move to a new location at the Port of Houston. Guenther has proven over the years to be an advocate of the Seafarers' Center and its mission. He has assisted Chaplains and HISC staff in navigating the regulatory and bureaucratic landscape associated with a working port…

“We fully expect to top last year’s container volume with another record year in 2016,” said Roger Guenther, Port of Houston Authority Executive Director, speaking to the Port Commission during its latest meeting. The Houston Port Authority said it has handled more than 1.6 million TEU through its container terminals to date this year, and it expects to maintain “strong growth” through the remainder of the year. All told, the port’s general cargo and container terminals handled more than 26 million tons of cargo through September.

In anticipation of increased opportunities for inbound consumer goods and outbound industrial commodities, Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co. have joined forces to operate a new direct all-water container service between the U.S Gulf and Asia. The new service by the 2M Alliance features the Lone Star Express by MSC and TP18 by Maersk. The first sailing is scheduled to depart Asia May 2, with Houston as the first U.S. inbound port call. The Lone Star/TP18 Gulf service will have a rotation of Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Yantian, Busan, Cristobal, Houston, Mobile and Miami.

In anticipation of increased opportunities for inbound consumer goods and outbound industrial commodities, Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co. have joined forces to operate a new direct all-water container service between the U.S Gulf and Asia. The new service by the 2M Alliance features the “Lone Star Express” by MSC and “TP18” by Maersk. The first sailing is scheduled to depart Asia May 2, with Houston as the first U.S. inbound port call. The Lone Star/TP18 Gulf service will have a rotation of Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Yantian, Busan, Cristobal, Houston, Mobile and Miami. The estimated inbound transit time to Houston is 26 days from Yantian and 23 days from Busan. The vessels deployed will have a capacity of about 4,500 twenty-foot–equivalent units (TEUs).

The first phase of a 300,000-square-foot temperature-controlled cargo facility will be built at the Port of Houston Authority’s Bayport Container Terminal by AGRO Merchants Group, which provides cold supply chain operations globally. Upon completion, the new facility will add to the infrastructure already in place at Bayport, which opened in 2007 and is one of the newest container facilities on the Gulf Coast. Negotiations between the Port Authority and AGRO Merchants Group regarding construction and operation of the refrigerated cargo center had been under way for some time and were successfully concluded recently. Plans call for the…

Barbours Cut Container Terminal (BCT), part of the Port of Houston Authority, has completed its implementation of the Navis N4 terminal operating system (TOS). The go-live is part of a larger effort underway at the Port Authority to update terminal operations to more modern hardware and software technology platforms. The Port of Houston Authority, which operates the Barbours Cut Container Terminal and Bayport Container Terminal, handles about 67 percent of all containerized cargo in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. This represents approximately two million TEUs annually between the two terminals. The Port Authority’s container handling facilities are among the most advanced operations in the nation.

The Port of Houston Authority last week commissioned the first of four new Super Post-Panamax ship-to-shore (STS) cranes at its Barbours Cut Container Terminal. The four 30-story-high electric cranes are reportedly the largest ever constructed by Konecranes, and currently stand taller than any other marine cranes in North America, according to the port. The cranes were ordered by the Port of Houston Authority amid ongoing infrastructure expansion to prepare in part for the larger Post-Panamax container vessels that will call at the Port Authority’s facilities – part of a $1 billion five-year modernization plan that also includes dredging and land-side infrastructure and wharf improvements.

Nearly 148,000 new jobs have been generated by cargo and vessel activity at Port of Houston terminals since 2011, Port of Houston Authority Chairman Janiece Longoria announced today during the Greater Houston Partnership’s annual State of the Port event. An economic impact study by Martin Associates determined that public and private marine terminals at the Port of Houston had a statewide economic impact of $265 billion in 2014, which is 16 percent of Texas’ total gross domestic product, Chairman Longoria said. The Martin Associates study shows the port’s economic value to the state since 2011 increased $82 billion, or 45 percent. “The Port of Houston is the leading driver for the greater Houston region for creating jobs and economic opportunity,” Chairman Longoria said.

The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, recognized the Port of Houston Partners in Maritime Education as part of the 2015 Bright Ideas program. This year's cohort includes 124 programs from all levels of government--school districts; county, city, state, and federal agencies; as well as public-private partnerships--that are at the forefront in innovative government action. Since 2009, the Port of Houston Authority has been tackling the growing need for skilled maritime workers by organizing maritime academies at four area school districts at the high school level to introduce youth to maritime transportation systems and career pathways as mariners, and in shipbuilding and repair, and port operations.

Activity across Port of Houston Authority docks continues to show strength as February 2015 tonnage figures reflected a 22-percent increase compared to February 2014. Executive Director Roger Guenther released the information today during the monthly meeting of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority. Guenther reported that the Port Authority's Barbours Cut and Bayport container terminals were particularly busy. A combined 40 percent more loaded containers than a year ago was handled. ". . . Our sharp increases in container volume are not just from East Asian services and diversion from the West Coast," Guenther said. The Port Authority, which handled a record 37 million tons of cargo in 2014, moved more than six million tons through the first two months of this year.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $5 million in grant funding for clean diesel projects at U.S. ports. The selected projects in California, Oregon, New Jersey and Texas will improve the air quality for people who live and work near the ports, and reduce emissions of the greenhouse gasses that lead to climate change, EPA said. “EPA and ports have a shared interest in working together to find practical solutions to reduce pollution for the benefit of workers and communities,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said at a conference hosted by American Association of Ports Authorities, where she announced the grant recipients.

The Port of Houston Authority hosted Congressional leaders on port matters for a facilitated visit and tour of the Port of Houston, Friday, June 5. Congresswoman Janice Hahn, Congressman Ted Poe and Congressman Brian Babin visited the Port of Houston and learned more about the national impact of the Port of Houston overall and in particular its safety and security measures. The visit was arranged upon the invitation of Congressman Poe, who along with Congresswoman Hahn co-chair the PORTS Caucus, which represents more than 100 ports across the nation.

The world’s biggest shipping company, Maersk Line, and its affiliated shipping services, SeaLand and Safmarine, has agreed to continue to call at the Port of Houston after APM Terminals, a unit of Maersk Group, said it was permanently terminating its operations there, the Port of Houston Authority said. Under the deal, APMT has operated its own section of Barbours Cut terminal,  however; the lease will now be transferred to the port authority effective July 24. According to Maersk, its current services that call the Port of Houston Authority's terminals will remain unchanged and uninterrupted. "We remain committed to serving all of our customers for whom the Port of Houston is a critical gateway to their supply chains…