HOUSTON, June 1, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority today authorized $2.7 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform critical dredging of the channels adjacent to PHA's Turning Basin and Barbours Cut docks.
Port Authority Chief Executive Officer Alec Dreyer delivered a financial report on performance for the first four months of the year. While for calendar reasons, container cargo volume eased somewhat from the strong showings in March, he said that steel is continuing its methodical recovery this year.
"Steel was down only 4 percent in April versus last year and April's performance (over 200,000 tons) is the largest steel month we've had since that same month last year," he noted. "We still expect steel in the second half of this year to be at much higher levels than we had in the second half of last year."
Total PHA ship arrivals year-to-date declined 1 percent compared to the same period last year. Barge traffic continued its upward progression with a strong showing in April – up 44 percent – while year-to-date barge traffic at PHA facilities increased 21 percent.
As a result of fewer ship arrivals at PHA's container facilities, container TEUs were down 14 percent for the month.
Dreyer also noted that PHA has revised its 2010 budget to reflect the most current operational expectations. Each quarter, PHA will update its budget to reflect current expectations for operating revenue and expenses based on updated volume forecasts.
ENGINEERING & REAL ESTATE MATTERS
(Agenda H1) Commissioners awarded a $1.06 million construction contract to D.H. Griffin of Texas, Inc. for transit shed demolition, lighting and access modifications at wharves 24 and 25 at the Turning Basin Terminal. This project will create a continuous concreted open wharf area in the Turning Basin Terminal – a premier multi-purpose general cargo facility – by demolishing two warehouses, originally built in 1963. Improvements to this facility promote increased trade with its associated economic benefits, including jobs, income and tax revenue.
OPERATIONS MATTERS
(Agenda L1) Commissioners awarded a $59,473 contract to Mobilisa, Inc. for the acquisition of four hand-held Transportation Worker Identity Credential (TWIC) readers. PHA expects to fund this purchase with port security grant funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The TWIC readers will be deployed across PHA facilities as part of its voluntary active TWIC enforcement program. TWIC aims to ensure that individuals who pose a threat do not gain unescorted access to secure areas of the nation's maritime transportation system.
(Agenda L2) Commissioners awarded a $344,190 contract to Morpho Detection/Safran Group for three explosives and narcotics trace detectors and three chemical identification units. As part of PHA's priority mission to ensure a safe and secure port, the items are expected to be purchased with funds from a port security grant.
GENERAL MATTERS
(Agenda P5 and P6) Commissioners authorized additional payments of up to $2.7 million to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for dredging at Turning Basin docks and PHA berths at Barbours Cut, to handle the additional accumulation of shoal material and debris at PHA docks.
The next public meeting of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority is scheduled for 9 a.m. on June 29, 2010, in the 4th floor board room of PHA Executive Office Building, located at 111 East Loop North (exit 29 of Loop 610).
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, there are more than 7,700 vessel calls at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage and second in overall total tonnage. 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. The second recertification of those facilities in 2009 included an extension for the state-of-the-art Bayport Container Terminal. The port authority is the first port authority in the world to receive ISO 28000:2007 certification for its port police and the perimeter security operations at both the Barbours Cut and Bayport Terminals. 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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