After the devastating passage of Hurricane Berylthe Port of Houston has been fully operational again since last week thanks to the approval of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard. As reported by the Greater Houston Port Bureau, other Texas ports are also expected to resume operations soon.
Port of Houston eliminates navigation restrictions
The president of the port office, Captain Eric Carrero, announced that all the previous limitations on the navigation channel of Houston have been lifted as of Friday.“There are no longer draft restrictions,” Carrero confirmed. However, other ports such as Galveston, Texas City and Freeport still maintain certain restrictions; Galveston has a 35-foot limit, Texas City a 30-foot limit and Freeport a 36-foot limit, the latter being restricted to operate only during the day.
Carrero also noted that restrictions in Texas City, Galveston and Freeport are under review with the hope of removing them soon. The rapid recovery of the port, which has resumed full capacity just three days after Beryl made landfall on July 8, has allayed concerns about a possible reduction in the supply of refined product shipments at a critical time.
During the week ending July 5, U.S. Gulf Coast refineries operated at 97% of capacity, the highest since June 2023, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Rapid standardization at the Port
It is to be expected that the backlog of ships outside the Port of Houston will dissipate quickly now that all operational conditions have been restored, as indicated by the region’s pilotage services. The proximity of the port of Freeport to the path of path of Hurricane Beryl justifies the extra precautions taken, especially its restricted operation to daylight hours, due to the increased risk of obstructions caused by the storm.
Finally, with the Port of Houston fully operational, it will be possible to redeploy additional Army Corps of Engineers and Coast Guard personnel to other Texas ports, facilitating necessary inspections and placement of critical aids to navigation.
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Source: argusmedia
Photo: Freepik
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