The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ study of potential improvements to the Houston Ship Channel is nearing completion. The study, that began in 2015, has been conducted in partnership with Port Houston and has examined the feasibility and national benefits of various widening, deepening and other improvements for the channel. This will be the eleventh major improvement project to the waterway over its century and a half history.

As the local sponsor of the waterway, maintaining and improving the Houston Ship Channel is the top priority for Port Houston. The improvements being studied seek to ensure that the waterway safely continues to accommodate the growth of commerce in the greater Houston region. “We hope to make this a model project for the nation,” said Port Houston Chief Port Infrastructure Officer Rich Byrnes.

The improvements are needed as soon as possible, so Port Houston is working with the Corps, Congress, the administration as well as many local partners and stakeholders to expedite the approval and funding of this major project. The project is expected to cost one billion dollars, and port officials would ideally like the project to begin construction within the next few years.

“Through commitment and principles learned from our predecessors, and working together… our forward momentum is accelerating,” said Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther.

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Texas ports play a crucial role in the state’s economy, creating nearly 1.4 million jobs and a total of over $68 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue in the U.S., and about $7 billion of state and local taxes are supported in the state of Texas.

Those impacts were highlighted at the Texas Ports Association “Navigating the Future” conference which was held in Austin Feb. 20.  Port Houston joined other port leaders, government officials and maritime industry professionals at the event.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar, Brandon Creighton, Chairman of the Texas Senate Committee on Ports, Texas State Senator Larry Taylor and Congressman Michael Cloud were among the officials participating in the conference.  The conference panels highlighted how ports facilitate various aspects of the state and nation economy, such as agriculture, energy and manufacturing. One panel focused on port security as well as their importance to deploying U.S. armed forces.

“Texas ports are our gateway to trade and economic growth,” stated Chairman Brandon Creighton in his opening remarks.  “As larger vessels transit our waterways and call on our ports, Texas must be ready to accommodate them as well as allow for all users to compete and maintain our economic lead over the rest of the country.”

Roger Guenther, Port Houston’s Executive Director who is also the current President of the Texas Ports Association, served as the conference’s Master of Ceremonies.

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Ryan Fisher, the second highest ranking civilian in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, visited the greater Port of Houston Aug. 21.

The visit highlighted the national economic impact of the Port of Houston and how the region’s employers and manufacturers rely on the Houston Ship Channel, a federal waterway.

“The Houston Ship Channel is a national asset,” said Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther. “The channel supports the top U.S. port in foreign waterborne tonnage and is critical to the nation’s exports and energy security.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining and improving the Houston Ship Channel in partnership with the Port of Houston Authority, which serves as the local sponsor of the waterway.

Also in attendance was Enterprise Products Partners’ Chief Executive Officer Jim Teague and the Houston Pilots’ Presiding Officer Mark Mitchem, who provided industry perspectives on the importance of the waterway.

Enterprise Products has the largest ethane export port facility in the country located on the Houston Ship Channel. The Port of Houston has the largest petrochemical complex in the nation. The Houston Pilots are the professionals who navigate deep-water vessels into and out of the Port of Houston.

Port Houston staff highlighted the port’s recent terminal investments, petrochemical exports, Asian import growth and wharf cranes. The Corps officials also took a Port of Houston fireboat tour and visited Enterprise Products’ Hydrocarbons Terminal.

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Port Houston welcomed Major General Scott Spellmon, deputy commanding general for civil and emergency operations with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and his staff for a briefing and tour of the public and private terminals on the Houston Ship Channel.  

The Major General and Corps representatives met with Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther and Channel Development Director Mark Vincent, who discussed the Houston Ship Channel, project economics and Hurricane Harvey impacts.

Port Houston is partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a mega-study evaluating the feasibility of modifying the Houston Ship Channel, including widening and deepening of the waterway and other improvements.

Houston’s energy, security and infrastructure makes the channel one-of-a-kind with more than 190 public and private facilities along it.

“Shoaling on the Houston Ship Channel impacts not only shipping, marine operations and navigation, but it also affects our stakeholders, American consumers and the economy,” said Vincent.

Port Houston works closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to facilitate commerce and maintain navigation of the channel. Sediment control is of significance for resiliency efforts in light of future storm and flood events.

“Ships are getting larger,” Vincent noted. “Planning for future improvements is key, and we want to make sure we have the adequate consideration for the mitigation of potential risks. We continue to work with the Corps to model the mega-study to meet the needs of the waterway.”

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Port Houston hosted a briefing for the City of Houston's Chief Resiliency Officer Stephen Costello June 29.  Port staff highlighted the impacts of Hurricane Harvey on the Houston Ship Channel and discussed the need for strategies to minimize the effects of future flood and rain events on the waterway.

Much of the floodwaters resulting from Harvey that devastated the region’s homes and businesses flowed into the Houston Ship Channel, depositing hundreds of millions of tons of sediment and debris. 

Port Houston worked closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers immediately after the storm to assess sedimentation impacts in the Houston Ship Channel and to mobilize available dredges to address the most critical areas as quickly as possible.

Port Houston is the local non-federal sponsor for the Houston Ship Channel and works with the Corps maintaining and growing the waterway.  Similarly, the Corps is responsible for many of the flood mitigation projects in the region.  Port officials and Costello discussed the critical nature of both understanding and planning how the flood mitigation system interacts with the Houston Ship Channel.

Port Chairman Janiece Longoria has discussed the impact of Hurricane Harvey at numerous public meetings and highlighted the importance of planning for weather-related incidents.

“We must also look at improvements to this waterway that make it more resilient and reduce the impacts of future weather events,” the chairman said during a recent meeting. “Part of the recovery is to harden this asset to make it better for the future.”

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