Port of Houston
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Port of Houston is the port of Houston, Texas, the fourth-largest city in the United States. The Port is a 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities located just a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico. It is the busiest port in the United States in terms of foreign tonnage, second-busiest in the United States in terms of overall tonnage, and tenth-busiest in the world. [1]
The Port of Houston is made up of the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay. It is made up of the port authority and the 150-plus private industrial companies along the ship channel; many oil companies have built refineries on the channel where they are protected from the Gulf of Mexico. The petrochemical complex associated with the Port of Houston is one of the largest in the world.
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[edit] History
The original Port of Houston was located at the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou in downtown Houston near the University of Houston-Downtown campus. This area is called "Allen's Landing" and is now a park. It is the the birthplace of the City of Houston.
The citizens of Harris County, Texas approved creation of the modern Port in 1909, believing that an inland port would better serve the region after the destructive Galveston Hurricane of 1900. The Port was officially opened to traffic on November 10, 1914. Early supporters would prove to be correct; the Port has grown to be one of the world's largest, while the nearby Port of Galveston has dwindled in significance.
[edit] The Port Today
Approximately 28 million tons of cargo moved through the Port in 2005, about half of which was containerized cargo. The Port has three separate terminals dedicated to the handling of cargo containers: Barbours Cut (the first terminal specifically designed for these shipments), Galveston East End (leased from the Port of Galveston, the Port's long-time rival), and Baytown (opened in October 2006).
The Port offers a 90-minute free cruise aboard the M/V Sam Houston, details of which can be found on its website. Since the Houston Ship Channel is closed to recreational traffic, this is the only means by which the general public can view port operations, and thus the tours are highly popular. Tours are available daily except on Mondays, holidays, and the entire month of September (when the vessel undergoes maintenance).
Most Volkswagen (and Audi) automobiles sold in North America pass through the port of Houston.
The Port is operated by the Port of Houston Authority, an independent political subdivision of the State of Texas. The Authority is governed by a seven-member Commission. The City of Houston and the Harris County Commissioners Court each appoint two commissioners; these two governmental entities also jointly appoint the chairman of the Port Commission. The Harris County Mayors & Councils Association and the City of Pasadena each appoint one commissioner. Daily operations are overseen by an Executive Director who serves at the will of the Commission.
[edit] List of Firsts
Despite being one of the youngest major Ports in the world (the Port has not yet reached its 100th birthday) it has already racked up an impressive list of firsts. See the pdf file for the full list of accomplishments.
Most notable firsts include:
- The first port to be built with Federal funds and local matching funds, thus guaranteeing local support (every Port since 1910 has had a local match requirement)
- The first direct shipment of cotton to Europe (November 1919 via the M/V Merry Mount)
- The first container cargo ship (April/May 1956 via the Ideal X)
- The first double-stack container train (1981)
- When the Baytown Tunnel was removed in 1997 to allow deepening and widening of the Houston Ship Channel (it was replaced by the Fred Hartman Bridge), it was the largest tunnel so removed (35' diameter by 1,041' length) without closing the Channel, losing time due to accidents, or impacting the navigational safety of the Port.
- The first Port to conduct air emissions testing of its off-road equipment (2000)
- The first Port to meet ISO 14001 standards for environmental excellence (2002), and the first Port to be recertified to ISO 14001 standards (2004)
