MEDIA ADVISORY, June 17, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) --
WHEN: Monday, June 21, 2004 at 10 a.m.
WHERE: 12600 Port Road in Pasadena, Texas
DIRECTIONS: Traveling south on Highway 146, take Port Road
exit traveling east for about one mile. See signage
directing you to the groundbreaking site on the left.
WHO: PHA Chairman Jim Edmonds, U.S. Congressman
Kevin Brady; Texas Secretary of State Geoffrey Connor,
Harris County Judge Robert Eckels, City of Pasadena Mayor
John Manlove, Walt Niemand of West Gulf Maritime
Association, Clyde Fitzgerald of International
Longshoremen's Association, David Zachry of Zachry
Construction Corporation, several PHA commissioners,
executives, staff members, contractors.
WHY: Built out in phases over 15 to 20 years to meet market
demand, Bayport will have enough space for seven ships and a
378-acre container storage yard. It will have a maximum
capacity of about 2.3 million TEUs -- a 200 percent increase
over PHA's current container handling capacity. The facility
is expected to create approximately 39,000 jobs and
contribute approximately $1.6 billion to the Texas economy
through wages and tax revenues.
Completion of the first phase -- including 1,660 feet of the
ultimate 7,000 ft. wharf and approximately 65 acres of the
ultimate 1,043 acre facility -- is targeted for mid-2006. As
many as 16 contracts totaling more than $180 million will be
awarded during the first part of the project. More than half
of that amount is expected to be packaged in contracts
eligible for the Small Business Development Program,
resulting in as much as 35 percent participation by
qualified small businesses.
AUDIO/
VISUALS: Prepared statements by dignitaries
Ceremonial groundbreaking
Soil conveyor demonstration
TV live shot arrangements available
- 24-hour advance notice preferred
CONTACTS:
Argentina M. James, PHA Public Affairs Director
Office: 713-670-2568 Cell: 713-306-6822
Felicia Griffin, PHA Communications Manager
Office: 713-670-2644 Cell: 713-594-5620
DUE TO SECURITY RESTRICTIONS, MEDIA ACCESS WILL BE STRICTLY
LIMITED TO THE DESIGNATED LOCATION. ALL MEDIA PERSONNEL MUST
PRESENT CURRENT PHOTO IDENTIFICATION UPON ENTRANCE.
The Port of Houston Authority
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