MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 18, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) --
WHAT: Celebration to Mark Completion of Wider and Deeper Houston
Ship Channel
WHEN: Thursday, August 18, 2005
Program -- 1:30 p.m.
Ceremonial boat departure -- 3:00 p.m.
Boat return -- 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Barbours Cut Cruise Terminal
820 North L Street
Morgan's Point, Texas 77572
Pier C-7
DIRECTIONS: From Highway 146 South, take the first exit
(Barbours Cut Blvd.) and U-turn to head north along the
feeder road. Remain on the feeder approximately 1/2 mile.
Turn right into the entrance of Enterprise Products and
signs will direct you to the cruise terminal.
WHO: PHA Chairman Jim Edmonds; U.S. Senator Kay Bailey
Hutchison, U.S. Representative Tom DeLay;
U.S. Representative Gene Green; Brigadier General
Jeffrey J. Dorko, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Captain
Richard M. Kaser, U.S. Coast Guard, Harris County Judge
Robert Eckels; Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia;
Mayor Pro-Tem and Houston City Council Member Carol
Alvarado; Berdon Lawrence, Kirby Corporation; Captain
Michael Morris, Houston Pilots Association; Eddie
Seidensticker, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Gene Autrey,
Bay Houston Towing; PHA commissioners, executives, staff
members.
WHY: Improving safety in the face of growing vessel size was the
primary goal of the officials who recognized the need for
a deeper and wider Houston Ship Channel. Thus was born the
project to widen the channel from 400 to 530 feet and to
deepen it from 40 to 45 feet. With mounting traffic in the
Channel, leaders recognized the need for additional
capacity. As they worked to achieve these objectives
competitiveness improved and jobs were added.
As the Beneficial Uses Group (BUG, a sub-committee of the
Corps' Interagency Coordinating Team) became involved
project goals expanded once again to include reusing
materials from Galveston Bay in Galveston Bay. The largest
wetland creation effort of its kind in the nation, and one
of the largest environmental initiatives to date, the BUG
Plan is also one of the most successful.
It took a strong coalition of federal, state and local
officials to bring together all the necessary components
to undertake this expansion. From streamlining the control
of the Port of Houston Authority to providing funding to
partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, local
officials have worked hard for decades to make the project
a reality today.
AUDIO/
VISUALS: Prepared statements Chairman Edmonds, elected officials,
maritime industry leaders. Ceremonial ribbon cutting
aboard pilot vessel Bayou City. TV live shot arrangements
available - 24-hour advance notice preferred.
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
The Port of Houston Authority logo can be found at: http://media.primezone.com/prs/single/?pkgid=720