Port Houston Moves Forward with Expansion

A contract for three new Neopanamax electric cranes for the Bayport Container Terminal was approved by the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority.

Port Of Houston
Port of Houston

A contract for three new Neopanamax electric cranes for the Bayport Container Terminal was approved by the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority. The Commission also authorized "critical-path" professional services for the Houston Ship Channel expansion project. 

The three new ship-to-shore cranes are expected to be operational in the summer of 2021 and will be the tallest to date for Port Houston, standing at 158 feet (or 48 meters) under the spreader and will be capable of handling 18,000 TEU-sized container ships. 

The $35 million dockside cranes are for the Bayport's Wharf No. 5. While the shipchannel is under expansion, the port is improving safety and the future growth of regional and national commerce. 

“Operationally, our facilities have handled close to 30 million tons of cargo through August, an increase of 7 percent over last year as both container volumes and steel have maintained their upward trends in 2019,” Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther notes.

Financially, operating revenues stand at $260 million year-to-date, combined with favorable cash flow performance. The ship channel expansion work approved by the Port Commission includes critical-path professional services for engineering, design and project coordination. The widening and deepening of the ship channel will allow for economic growth to continue. 

The Port of Houston Authority has proposed an expedited scheduled whereby dredging could begin by 2021 and the project to be completed in 2024.

The channel widening, along with deepening in some sections, is the eleventh and next major ship channel expansion project. The last widening and deepening of the channel was completed in 2005. 

The professional services contract approved by the commission was in an amount not to exceed $5.5 million and was awarded to TC&B/GBA, a joint venture of Turner Collie & Braden Inc and Gahagan & Bryant Associates Inc. 


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