Electricity keeping ships from Port of Houston docks

Houston Chronicle:

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.

The Port of Houston Authority is asking its maintenance, operations and Barbours Cut and Bayport terminal employees to report today.

...

The Port of Houston is one of the busiest in the country. While Galveston Bay is a large body of water it is relatively shallow with an average depth of less than 10 feet. The ship channel is dredged to 40 or 50 feet. An event such as Ike could effect that depth and must be checked before allowing the ships back in. They also have to make sure the navigational aids are in the right position so that ships are not driven into the shallow water. The channel takes the ships some 40 to 50 miles from Galveston to the various Houston port facilities.

I suspect that one reason many of the refineries along the channel are not operating is because the ships with oil in them cannot get to a point to off load it or if they were there there is no electricity to pump it into storage.

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