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Goods stalled at Ship Channel's front door
Houston Chronicle ^ | Sept. 16, 2008, 9:56PM | BILL HENSEL JR.

Posted on 09/17/2008 11:58:14 AM PDT by thackney

More than 100 vessels are waiting to enter the Houston Ship Channel to deliver goods but can't, in part because Hurricane Ike destroyed or moved maritime navigational aids.

Also, public terminals operated by the Port of Houston Authority remain closed because of cleanup efforts and no electricity.

"A range of serious complications due to the lack of electricity prohibits the Port of Houston Authority from opening for business operations Wednesday," the port said in a prepared statement late Tuesday.

The storm destroyed or blew away many navigational aids, and the Coast Guard has to sort things out before the Ship Channel can reopen, an agency spokeswoman said.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Victoria Bonk said 103 vessels ranging from oil tankers to container ships were waiting Tuesday to enter the Ship Channel. She added that it was impossible to say when traffic might start moving in again.

"They are trying to figure out how much damage has been done," Bonk said. "They have got to figure out the hazards."

Even in the best of times, the Houston Ship Channel is considered one of the world's most difficult waterways to navigate.

The Houston Pilots board ships, then bring them in to port.

(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: energy; houston; hurricane; hurricaneike; ike; maritime; shipping; trade; transportation

1 posted on 09/17/2008 11:58:15 AM PDT by thackney
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To: humblegunner

Is this causing many problems for y’all?


2 posted on 09/17/2008 11:58:52 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: thackney

Oh yeah, all that good stuff straight from China: pet food, toothpaste, baby food...


3 posted on 09/17/2008 12:00:48 PM PDT by Redbob (W.W.J.B.D. - "What Would Jack Bauer Do?")
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To: Redbob

I was more interested in the million and a half barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum products the Houston Ship Channel typically imports.


4 posted on 09/17/2008 12:08:33 PM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: 1riot1ranger; Action-America; Aggie Mama; Alkhin; Allegra; American72; antivenom; Antoninus II; ...

Houston PING


5 posted on 09/17/2008 12:09:20 PM PDT by weegee (Say no to the Marxist who "denounces" the 911 terrorist attacks and yet befriended a Pentagon bomber)
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To: Redbob

I doubt too much of that goes into Houston...perhaps Long Beach.

Oil, my friend... oil.


6 posted on 09/17/2008 12:09:47 PM PDT by Slapshot68
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To: Alexis the Bengal Kitty

ping


7 posted on 09/17/2008 12:10:28 PM PDT by Sally'sConcerns (http://www.fda.gov/emaillist.html - Class I (life threatening) recalls email alert sign-up)
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To: Redbob

Not just that..

I work for a manufacturer in PA.. we get alot of raw materials from overseas mostly through New York City. If something like this would of halted our RM’s for longer than a week we would be hurting.


8 posted on 09/17/2008 12:12:58 PM PDT by Onerom99
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To: Redbob
Port of Houston Trade Statistics
http://www.portofhouston.com/busdev/tradedevelopment/tradestatistics.html

China is about 6% of the Port of Houston business.

9 posted on 09/17/2008 12:14:18 PM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: thackney

I would have thought that with modern GPS, and competent local pilots, the loss of visual navigation aids, though a huge annoyance, would not prevent the safe passage of ships.


10 posted on 09/17/2008 12:14:55 PM PDT by AndyJackson
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To: Slapshot68

Wal-Mart’s largest single distribution center is right around the corner from Houston’s container terminal......bunches of chinese imports go thru there.


11 posted on 09/17/2008 12:17:01 PM PDT by stationkeeper
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To: thackney
I was more interested in the million and a half barrels per day of crude oil

LOOP is open right now.

12 posted on 09/17/2008 12:21:12 PM PDT by Romulus ("Ira enim viri iustitiam Dei non operatur")
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To: Redbob

Whoops, I mixed up imports with imports/exports total.

Make that 2.8% of Port of Houston business is with China.


13 posted on 09/17/2008 12:21:39 PM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: Romulus

How much spare capacity did they have prior to the storm?


14 posted on 09/17/2008 12:22:41 PM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: Redbob

Chinese goods unload on the West Coast. It is uneconomical to ship them all the way around via the Panama Canal.


15 posted on 09/17/2008 12:26:15 PM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: thackney

Yes, we have no bananas, today. Lot’s of ‘em over Gulfport way though, I’d reckon.


16 posted on 09/17/2008 12:39:15 PM PDT by 7MMmag (lighten up! we wuz just funnin' when we brought that horse in here...)
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To: thackney

Bring it over here to Tampa.

http://www.tampaport.com/index.asp


17 posted on 09/17/2008 12:41:40 PM PDT by poobear (“…individual salvation depends on collective salvation." Barack Hussein Obama Wesleyan University)
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To: poobear
Do you have refineries in Tampa to turn that Crude Oil into Gasoline and Diesel?
18 posted on 09/17/2008 12:49:34 PM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: thackney
I wonder if the US Navy needs to use Minesweepers to make sure there is no debris littering the ship channel.

After Katrina, the Mississippi River had to be cleared of a number of sunken boats/ships.

I am not aware of much debris going into the ship channel, but with the storm surge, it is unclear if junk was pushed into the ship channel...

19 posted on 09/17/2008 1:47:53 PM PDT by topher (Let us return to old-fashioned morality - morality that has stood the test of time...)
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