Port of Houston
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Port of Houston.jpg The Port of Houston is the port of Houston, Texas, the fourth-largest city in the United States. The Port is a 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities located just a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico. It is the busiest port in the United States in terms of foreign tonnage, second-busiest in the United States in terms of overall tonnage, and sixth-busiest in the world.
The Port of Houston is made up of the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay. It is made up of the port authority and the 150-plus private industrial companies along the ship channel; many oil companies have built refineries on the channel where they are protected from the Gulf of Mexico. The petrochemical complex associated with the Port of Houston is one of the largest in the world.
A total of 6,539 vessel calls were recorded at the Port of Houston during the year 2004, and approximately 200 million tons of cargo moved through the Port in 2004.
The Port offers a 90-minute free cruise aboard the M/V Sam Houston (except in early September), details of which can be found on its website. Since the Houston Ship Channel is closed to recreational traffic, this is the only means by which the general public can view port operations, and thus the tours are highly popular (often tours are sold out a month in advance).
Most Volkswagen (and Audi) automobiles sold in North America pass through the port of Houston.