Public facilities which are owned and operated by the Port Authority include 43 general cargo wharves available for public hire and two liquid-cargo wharves. The Port Authority's facilities handle approximately 15 percent of the cargo moving through the Port.

These existing facilities offer shippers deep water access to world markets and a direct link to 14,000 miles (22,400 kilometers/12,180 nautical miles) of U.S. intracoastal and navigable inland waterways. A vast network of interstate highways and rail connections link Houston with inland markets; two major railroads and approximately 150 trucking lines connect the Port to the continental United States, Canada and Mexico. Air service is also easily accessible through two major public airports, Bush Intercontinental and Hobby, and dozens of private terminals.

Turning Basin Terminal
The Turning Basin is the navigational head of the Houston Ship Channel and is only eight miles from downtown Houston. Each of the 37 public wharves that line the Turning Basin offer up to 806 feet of quay, more than 1.9 million square feet of covered storage and 3.3 million square feet of open storage space. The facility can accommodate vessels with lengths up to 750 feet.

Arranged for efficient truck and rail direct discharge and direct loading operations, the Turning Basin Terminal efficiently handles close to 2,000 ships and barges annually. Lifting capacity in excess of 500 tons is available.

With the exception of Wharves 1 through 4, most Turning Basin wharves are served by the Port Terminal Railroad Association, a group consisting of three railroad lines — Union Pacific, Burlington Northern and the Tex-Mex. Wharves 46 through 48 are served exclusively by Union Pacific Railroad. Additionally, more than 100 trucking lines are available, with immediate access to major interstate highways.

The 200-acre Industrial Park West and the 115-acre Industrial Park East are nearby with facilities for container marshaling, consolidation and storage of steel, servicing and distribution of automobiles, paved and unpaved storage space and storage shed space.

Wharf 32
Wharf 32 is one of the world’s premier heavy-lift cargo facilities. This $10.8 mil-lion state-of-the-art freight handling facility has a 1,000 pound per square foot load capacity that can handle even the most challenging shipments. Its 806 linear feet of berthing space and 18.5 acres of paved marshaling area is spacious enough for any cargo assignment. Long-term storage is also available.

Houston Public Elevator No. 2
The 6.2 million-bushel capacity Houston Public Grain Elevator No. 2 is an efficient, modern export facility. With a maximum rated loading capability of 120,000 bushels an hour, overall through-put costs are among the lowest in the nation.

The facility is fully automated, allowing operators full control of all equipment at their fingertips. Trucks are received on two pits at a rate of 30 trucks per hour. Rail receipts from three pits reach 30 cars per hour.

Woodhouse Terminal
Just two miles downstream from the Turning Basin, the Woodhouse Terminal is a versatile facility that includes approximately 235,000 square foot of warehouse space, 10 acres of open storage, roll-on/roll-off ramps and three general cargo wharves ranging from 600 feet to 660 feet long.

Bulk Materials Handling Plant
The Bulk Materials Handling Plant is a dry bulk export/import facility located nine miles downstream from the Turning Basin Terminal. The plant’s modern and well-maintained ship-loading system can handle just about any kind of dry bulk commodity, ranging from particles as fine as sand to lumps eight inches in diameter and weighing as much as 200 pounds per cubic foot. Commodities are discharged from trucks or rail cars into an underground hopper that feeds a conveyor system and ship loader. This high-speed loading system has a rated capacity of 1,800 short tons per hour.

Care Terminal
Care Terminal offers a state-of-the-art wharf and dock that can accommodate heavy-lift and project cargo of up to 1,000 pounds per square foot. With more than 1,100 feet of berthing space directly adjacent to 15 acres of paved open storage area and 45,900 square feet of warehouse space, Care Terminal can handle a wide variety of projects.

Jacintoport Terminal
Sitting on 125 acres, Jacintoport Terminal offers specialized facilities for bagged cargo and products needing refrigeration. The “Spiralveyor” bagged cargo handling system is capable of loading ships at a very high rate of speed. On site bagging equipment can package corn, oats, rice, soybeans, wheat and other food products.

The Jacintoport property includes a waterfront refrigerated and frozen storage facility. The warehouse contains 200,000 square foot of temperature- and humidity-controlled storage, as well as enclosed truck and rail bays to protect cargo.

The terminal’s three berths provide 1,836 feet of continuous quay, with 7.5 acres of paved cargo marshaling area and an 82,500-square-foot transit shed located adjacent to Berth 3. The terminal also features a 437,000-square-foot transit shed.

Barbours Cut Container Terminal
The Port of Houston handles 69.6 percent of the containerized cargo market in the U.S. Gulf, and 95.5 percent of the containers moving through Texas. Much of that activity takes place at Barbours Cut, the largest container terminal on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The six berths at Barbours Cut provide 6,000 feet of continuous quay with 13 wharf cranes. The facility is designed for maximum efficiency and includes a roll-on/roll-off platform, a LASH dock, paved marshaling area, two 100,000 square-foot transit sheds, and an on-site rail ramp. A computerized inventory control system tracks the status and location of individual containers, and customers can monitor the status of their container shipments through this Web site.

Bayport Container and Cruise Terminal
The $1.2 billion Bayport Container Terminal is a state-of-the-art facility and at total build-out, will substantially increase the port’s container handling capacity. The terminal will have a total of seven container berths with the capacity to handle 2.3 million TEUs. The opening phase of the terminal became operational in January 2007. The Bayport Cruise Terminal, set to open in 2008, will provide three berths for modern cruise vessels.

Bayport Terminal Complex
The Bayport Terminal Complex comprises chemical and chemical specialty facilities operated by more than 70 U.S. and foreign companies. The complex was developed by the Port of Houston Authority in conjunction with Friendswood Development Corp., a former subsidiary of ExxonMobil Corporation. Two privately owned liquid cargo terminals operate for public use at Bayport.

Last updated: 04/15/08

Port of Houston Authority
111 East Loop North • Houston, Texas 77029
P.O. Box 2562 • Houston, Texas 77252-2562
Phone: 713-670-2400

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