Most ships to be allowed to transit Houston Channel

08-Aug-08

After being shut on Monday on fears of approaching Tropical Storm Edouard, the Houston and Sabine Pass ship channels have been opened. A total of 33 ships are waiting to enter and two ships were waiting to exit the waterway. Certain limitations have, however, been levied on the size of the ships allowed to pass through the 53 mile waterway to Houston, the busiest U.S. petrochemical port. The limits will allow most ships to transit the Houston channel, but bulk crude carriers will be prevented from moving through Sabine Pass channel. The limits allow for checks for possible damage or debris that the storm moved into the waterways as it passed over the Texas coast on Tuesday. Ships with a draft of 38 feet or less can move in or out of the Houston Ship Channel, while ships with a draft of 35 feet or less can move to the port of Texas City. At the Sabine Pass Channel, which serves refineries at Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas, ships with a draft of 30 feet or less can enter or exit the waterway, until Friday. At Houston, a survey by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for the Houston channel´s construction and maintenance, must take place before the restrictions will be lifted.