Port Commission Chairman of the Port of Houston Authority, Janiece Longoria, stressed impacts of Hurricane Harvey, stating that the port needs additional relief to properly dredge the channel so that it can accommodate normal commerce at its authorized depth and width.
Presenting at the Commission’s monthly meeting satellite images of the mouth of the Houston Ship Channel, taken before and after the hurricane, she noted that the Channel needs significant dredging to address the storm damages.
Port Houston’s two container terminals, Barbours Cut and Bayport, together are responsible for nearly 70% of the container cargo in the gulf. A study conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute determined that a loss of one foot of depth in the channel costs the US economy as much as $281 million dollars per year.
As the Chairman informed, there has been ten feet of sediment collected as a result of massive amounts of floodwater that has carried this silt into the channel, which seriously restricts commerce.
“We must also look at improvements to this waterway that make it more resilient and reduce the impacts of future weather events,” she stressed. “We believe that rather than just returning the channel to its pre-storm depth and width, we must enhance its efficiency and we must build in resiliency, to make it better for ever- growing demand.”
In response, the Port Commission approved a proactive measure for Hurricane Harvey-related dredging expenses for its general cargo terminals, by authorizing an additional payment not to exceed $2 million to the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Additionally, the Commission agreed to renew an agreement with the US Coast Guard to exchange and share information and data, in order to enhance maritime safety and security. It also awarded contracts to fortify communication capabilities for telephones, data center and inter-terminal connectivity.
