HOUSTON, Dec. 22, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Port of Houston Authority (PHA) announced today that the free public tours of the Houston Ship Channel aboard the M/V Sam Houston have been canceled until further notice. The cancellations are a security requirement due to the level orange national security alert issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
"The safety and security of our employees and the communities surrounding the Port are of paramount concern at all times, but especially now in the wake of the nation's heightened alert," stated PHA Chairman Jim Edmonds. "The Port Authority remains prepared to respond expediently to all threats in cooperation with all of our security partners."
About the M/V Sam Houston
Named for the legendary military commander who led the fight for Texas independence from Mexico and later statehood, the M/V Sam Houston offers leisurely 90-minute round-trip cruises along the Houston Ship Channel. Embarking from the port's Sam Houston Pavilion, visiting sightseers can enjoy passing views of international cargo vessels and operations at the port's Turning Basin Terminal. Measuring 95 feet in length and 24 feet in width, the boat carries a maximum capacity of 100 passengers with air-conditioned lounge seating and additional standing room on the boat's rear deck. The M/V Sam Houston has been operating as the Port Authority's public tour vessel since its maiden voyage on August 30, 1958.
The Port of Houston Authority owns and operates the public facilities located along the Port of Houston, the 25-mile long complex of diversified public and private facilities designed for handling general cargo, containers, grain and other dry bulk materials, project and heavy lift cargo, and other types of cargo. Each year, more than 6,600 vessels call at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage, second in overall total tonnage, and sixth largest in the world. The Port Authority plays a vital role in ensuring navigational safety along the Houston Ship Channel, which has been instrumental in Houston's development as a center of international trade. The Barbours Cut Container Terminal and Central Maintenance Facility are the first of any U.S. port facilities to develop and implement an innovative Environmental Management System that meets the rigorous standards of ISO 14001. Additionally, the port is an approved delivery point for Coffee "C" futures contracts traded on the New York Board of Trade's Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa Exchange. For more information, please visit, www.portofhouston.com .
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