Corps Visit Highlights Houston Ship Channel’s Importance to Nation
May 24 2017 - 8:46PM
Business Wire
During today’s meeting of the Port Commission of the Port of
Houston Authority, Chairman Janiece Longoria shared highlights of a
briefing and tour of the Houston Ship Channel provided last week to
Lt. General Todd Semonite, Commanding General and Chief of
Engineers for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. During his visit,
Chairman Longoria outlined the economic impact of the Port of
Houston and made the case that dredging the Houston Ship Channel is
an investment that generates jobs and economic benefit for the
nation.
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Port Commission of the Port of Houston
Authority (Photo: Business Wire)
Lt. General Semonite came to Houston to see first-hand all the
activity at the Port of Houston, and review the progress of
improvements being considered during the current Corps mega-study.
Conducted in partnership with Port Houston, the study is looking at
potential future improvements to the channel. Following a briefing
with leadership and staff, Lt. General Semonite was given a
waterside channel tour, highlighting opportunities of the
project.
Chairman Longoria shared that Lt. General Semonite was “very
impressed” with what he saw and learned. He featured his visit to
the Port of Houston in an ongoing series “On the Road Again with
LTG Semonite.” His comments about the port can be seen at the
following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSzwlbCeiHo
In his report to the Port Commission, Executive Director Roger
Guenther said that Port Houston “continues to perform well
operationally,” handling nearly 13 million tons of cargo for the
year, an increase of nine percent over last year. Total container
volumes have also grown, by 12 percent. “A majority of this
increase is due to loaded units, which showed an increase of 16
percent compared to the same time last year,” he said.
During his report, Mr. Guenther also commented on “tremendous
investments” being made along the channel by the private sector, in
addition to the ongoing investments by Port Houston. Mr. Guenther
highlighted that several items on the agenda for the Port
Commission’s consideration, including a permit for dock
construction as well as barge leasing facilities, would support
private sector investment efforts that would in turn help create
growth opportunities for the region.
Those items were approved by the Port Commission today. Other
items approved included the purchase of nine new rubber
tired-gantry cranes to handle the continued growth in Port
Houston’s container volumes.
During the meeting, Mr. Guenther acknowledged the passing of
Environmental Affairs Director Leah Oberlin. Mr. Guenther commented
that Ms. Oberlin was a valued member of the Port Houston family and
touched the lives of all who knew her and would be greatly
missed.
The Port Commission is scheduled to next meet on Tuesday, June
27.
About Port Houston
For more than 100 years, the port has owned and operated the
public wharves and terminals of the Port of Houston – the nation’s
largest port for foreign waterborne tonnage and an essential
economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas, and the
nation. It supports the creation of nearly 1.175 million jobs in
Texas and 2.7 million jobs nationwide, and economic activity
totaling almost $265 billion in Texas – 16 percent of Texas’ total
gross domestic product – and more than $617 billion in economic
impact across the nation. For more information, visit Port
Houston’s website at: www.porthouston.com.
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Port HoustonLisa Ashley, Director, Media RelationsOffice:
713-670-2644; Mobile: 832-247-8179; E-mail: lashley@poha.com