Fresh off the completion of its portions of Project 11, Port Houston is beginning studies for a potential Project 12 that could further deepen the Houston Ship Channel while the port weighs additional container capacity at Barbours Cut.
Port Houston CEO Charlie Jenkins told the Port Commission that the port will conduct its own study of portions of a possible Project 12 under Section 203 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986. At the same time, the port is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a traditional feasibility study covering potential improvements to the broader Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay system.
Section 203 allows a nonfederal sponsor to lead its own feasibility study of proposed harbor improvements, providing an alternative path when federal schedules or funding constraints do not align with a sponsor’s plans.
Port Houston and the Corps recently held a Federal Interest Determination meeting, beginning a 45-day process expected to produce a recommendation on the scope of the Project 12 study.
The planning comes weeks after Port Houston marked completion of the portions of Project 11 it led. That work widened the Galveston Bay reach of the Houston Ship Channel from 530' to 700'. The wider channel has effectively removed daylight restrictions for larger vessels between Bolivar Roads and Morgans Point, allowing more flexibility in vessel movements. Corps-led work on other portions of Project 11 continues.
“We have an extraordinary economic engine here in Houston, and we have a responsibility to help ensure it can continue supporting jobs and economic prosperity for generations to come,” Port Commission Chairman Ric Campo said.
Port Houston is also studying how to add container capacity as it projects additional demand over the next decade.
One option under consideration would expand north of Barbours Cut Container Terminal onto Spilman Island. The Corps has held a public scoping meeting for the potential expansion, but Port Houston emphasized that the proposal remains one of several options and would require a final investment decision from the Port Commission before moving forward.
Barbours Cut currently has about 300 acres of container yard space, six berths, and more than 8,000' of working rail track. Port Houston has been carrying out a series of wharf, yard, crane, and other infrastructure improvements at the terminal.
The capacity planning comes as cargo volumes continue to grow. Port Houston reported loaded imports up 5% year to date through September. The Houston Ship Channel region handled 22.3 million tons of foreign cargo in August, an 18% increase from a year earlier, while exports rose 24%.
