HOUSTON PORT/TERMINAL
The Port of Houston is a port in 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 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 thirteenth-busiest in the world. Though originally the port's terminals were primarily within the Houston city limits, the port has expanded to such a degree that today it has facilities in multiple communities in the surrounding area. In particular the port's busiest terminal, the Barbours Cut Terminal, is located in Morgan's Point.
The Port of Houston is a cooperative entity consisting of both the port authority, which operates the major terminals along the Houston Ship Channel, and more than 150 private companies situated along Buffalo Bayou and Galveston Bay. Many petroleum corporations have built refineries along the channel where they are partially protected from the threat of major storms in the Gulf of Mexico. The petrochemical complex associated with the Port of Houston is one of the largest in the world.
The second biggest petrochemical complex in the world runs along 40.2 kilometers (25 miles) of the 84-kilometer (52-mile) long Port of Houston Ship Channel. The petrochemical complex includes oil refineries, petrochemical facilities, and oil-related industries like asphalt plants and fuel bunkering.
These Port of Houston berths are available on a first-come first-served basis, and average turn-around for vessels ranges from two to three days.
The Port of Houston's Manchester Terminal is near the 200-acre Industrial Park West and the 115-acre Industrial Park East. Manchester Terminal in the Port of Houston is equipped with a 40-ton container crane, and mobile truck cranes can be rented from private companies.
The PTRA supports the Manchester Terminal facility in the Port of Houston and offers regular links with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroads. The Manchester Terminal also has easy access to Interstate Highways 10 and 45, facilitating efficient motor freight carriers.
The Port of Houston has two berths in Sims Bayou that are operated by Texas Petrochemicals. Berth A, a ship dock for bulk liquid cargoes, is 32 meters (105 feet) long and can accommodate vessels to 73.5 meters (241 feet). Berth B, a barge dock for bulk liquids, is 24.7 meters (81 feet) long and can accommodate vessels to 61.3 meters (201 feet).
HOUSTON PORT SERVICES
The Port of Houston Authority manages a foreign trade zone (FTZ) made up of private- and port-owned sites across Harris County and Houston. The Port of Houston FTZ offers many advantages for shippers. The Port of Houston is in an ideal location for distributing goods to the United States' West and Midwest regions, particularly because of the city's links to nationwide interstate highways, railroad networks, and many airlines. FTZ facilities serving the Port of Houston include warehouses, storage and blending for liquid bulk cargoes, storage for steel and pipes, and pipe end fishing and heat treating. The Port of Houston FTZ has over 700 acres of land and building space for development and lease.