DO NOW

• Convert the following from meters to feet or feet to meters. 1 foot = 0.3 meters1. 28.5 feet = meters?2. 13’ 9” = meters?3. 28” = meters?4. 6.3 meters = feet?5. 0.7 meters = feet?6. 14 meters = feet?

HISTORY OF THE PORT OF HOUSTON

Houston Ship Channel (HSC)

• Waterway that connects the Port of Houston with the Gulf of Mexico

• 50 miles long• Port of Galveston, Port of Texas City and the

Port of Houston are found along the HSC• The last 25 miles is also known as the

industrial ship channel

Houston Ship Channel

Port of Houston

• The Port of Houston is a cooperative entity along the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) consisting of both:– The Port of Houston Authority (PHA) and – More than 150 private companies situated along

Buffalo Bayou and Galveston Bay

Houston Ship Channel

Port of Houston Facilities

Houston

Port of Houston Authority (PHA)

• The Port of Houston Authority, or PHA, is an independent political subdivision of the State of Texas governed by a seven-member commission

• It operates or administers 8 terminals along the Houston Ship Channel that include the Barbours Cut and Bayport Container Terminals

• It is the Sponsor of the Houston Ship Channel

PHA Commission

• Chairman is chosen by the City & County• 2 Members chosen by the City• 2 Members chosen by the County• 1 Member chosen by the City of Pasadena• 1 Member chosen by the Harris County Mayors' and

Councils' Association

PHA Commission

• Janiece M. Longoria (Chairwoman)• John D. Kennedy (Harris County)• Dean E. Corgey (City of Houston)• Clyde Fitzgerald (Harris County)• Theldon R. Branch (City of Houston)• Stephen H. DonCarlos (Harris County Mayors'

and Councils' Association)• Roy D. Mease (City of Pasadena)

PHA Terminals

• Turning Basin Terminal• Grain Elevator• Woodhouse• Care Terminal• Jacintoport• Bulk Terminal• Barbours Cut• Bayport

Barbours Cut Terminal

Houston Ship Channel Industries

• $15 Billion petrochemical complex• 2 of the 4 largest refineries in the world• Notable Industries along the HSC:– Exxon (largest refinery in Houston area) – Chevron– Lyondell – Valero

Texas in the Late 1800

• On January 1, 1837, the Houston comprised twelve residents and one log cabin

• The Laura arrived on January 1837 and was the first ship ever to visit Houston

• Houston was just a town on Buffalo Bayou• The Port of Galveston was largest port in Texas• COTTON WAS KING!

Cotton in Galveston

Galveston Disaster in 1900

• A hurricane hit Galveston on September 8, 1900

• Wind speed estimates were about 145 mph• Mostly wooden homes• City unprotected without current Seawall• You can imagine the results…

1900 Galveston Hurricane

Opportunity for Houston

• Galveston and the Port of Galveston had to rebuild

• Houston is 50 miles closer to the mainland cotton farms and relatively protected from a direct hurricane hit

• Which means… Ships can be 50 miles closer to cargo and be safer in a storm

• However… there was no HSC, just Buffalo Bayou

Houston Docks in 1900

Spindletop in 1901 - Rice in 1902

• The oil discovery at Spindletop near Beaumont prompted Texas to embrace the oil business &

• Houston to become the center of the Texas oil industry

• Around 1902, the Japanese helped establish rice as a major crop in the Gulf Coast region

• By 1910, the docks, cotton, oil and rice helped Houston surpass Galveston’s population

The Rest is History

• The citizens of Harris County approved creation of the modern port in 1909

• President Woodrow Wilson officially opened the port to traffic on November 10, 1914

• The Panama Canal opened in 1914 as well…• On January 10, 1910, Harris County decided to

fund dredging the Houston ship channel to a depth of 25 feet for the amount of $1,250,000

The Port Today

• 1st ranked US port in foreign tonnage• 7th ranked US container port by total TEUs in 2013• Largest Texas port with 46% of market share by

tonnage and 95% market share in containers by total TEUS in 2013

• Largest Gulf Coast container port, handling 66% of US Gulf Coast container traffic in 2013

• 2nd ranked US port in terms of cargo value waterborne

SO WHAT ??????

OK, the Port of Houston is big…

The JY Maritime Academy Opens a Door to…

HIGH-PAYING JOBS and

BIG BUCKS !

JY Work SITE

• www.jymaritimeacademy.weebly.com

Let’s Look at the Numbers

• Entry-level job at McDonald’s pays minimum wage, $7.25 per hour or:

• $15,080 per year• Entry-level job at a barge company pays about $30,000/year• $15,080 per year• $14.42 per hour

Panama Canal History

The French & the Suez Canal

• In 1869, the French diplomat & developer, Ferdinand de Lesseps opened the 102-mile long Suez Canal in Egypt connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.

• The sea-level canal across the Isthmus of Suez allowed ships to travel from India to Europe without going around Africa, eliminating more than 4300 miles from the old shipping routes.

• At 145 years-old, the Suez Canal is still one of the world’s most important maritime hubs with over 17,000 ships traversing it every year.

Suez Canal

Isthmus of Suez

• Isthmus - a narrow strip of land with sea on either side, forming a link between two larger areas of land

• Sea-Level Canal – A canal without locks

Suez Canal

Ferdinand de Lesseps in Panama• Ferdinand de Lesseps

wanted to replicate his success in Egypt and saw the 50-mile Isthmus of Panama as another potential maritime hub… and money-maker

The French Panama Canal-1881

• De Lesseps and his French backers began work on Panama Canal in 1881

• Engineers planned for a sea-level canal but ran into mountainous jungles & rocky terrain

• Yellow Fever & Malaria killed many workers• Eventually, the French ran out of money and

tried to salvage their “investment” by selling the project to the US.

US Panama Canal - 1904

• Theodore Roosevelt is considering a canal in Panama or maybe Nicaragua

• De Lesseps negotiates with US but…• Panama is part of Colombia and has no

interest in a US canal• Back-room deals result in the US backing

Panamanian independence, buying out the French & negotiating a US canal w/Panama

Canal Zone

• The US leases a swath of land in Panama about five miles wide and 50 miles long in perpetuity

• On November 18, 1903, the US & Panama agree to establish the Panama Canal Zone

• On February 26, 1904, Panama agrees to US occupation of the Canal Zone in perpetuity

Isthmus of Panama

• Crossing from Pacific to Atlantic, a ship travels in a northwesterly direction across the Panama Canal

Canal Zone

US Panama Canal – 1904 to 1914

• The US ran into same engineering and health problems as the French

• Colonel William Gorgas drained swamps and greatly improved sanitation to minimize mosquitoes carrying disease.

• In 1905 an engineering panel decided a lock system was more practical than a sea-level canal

Panama Canal Construction

Locks Raise/Lower Ships

My Home in the Canal Zone

Panama Canal Locks

Panama & Canal

• In 1977, the US & Panama agree to transition the Canal back to Panama

• On December 31, 1999, Panama obtained full control of the Panama Canal

• In 2006, Panamanians passed a referendum to allow the expansion of the Panama Canal at an estimated cost of $5.25 billion

Canal Expansion

• Expansion is due to finish around 2016

• Deeper-draft ships will be able to cross the Canal.

• Capacity of the Canal will double

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shWrzvNGLdw

FINISH CLASSWORK

• EXIT TICKET - Write a paragraph on the back of your worksheet explaining how you think the Panama Canal Expansion will benefit the Port of Houston