Facilities

Along 25 miles of the 52-mile long Houston Ship Channel lies the world’s second largest petrochemical complex and the nation’s busiest port in terms of foreign tonnage. First opened as a deep-water port in 1914, the first foreign vessel to arrive at the new port was an oil tanker from Mexico.

Today, the ship channel hosts a variety of cargo vessels from barges to tankers to container and other cargo-carrying vessels. The Houston Ship Channel is 45 feet deep and 530 feet wide. Along its shores can be found numerous oil refineries including ExxonMobil’s Baytown Refinery, the largest in the U.S., and other petrochemical facilities. Other industries include asphalt and cement plants, bulk liquid storage, ship repair, fuel bunkering, recycling, cargo handling and warehousing.

The Port of Houston Authority owns, operates and leases the public facilities at the Port of Houston. Those facilities include the general cargo terminals at the Turning Basin, and the Barbours Cut and Bayport container terminals.