June 20, 2014
Ports of the World: Galveston and Houston, Texas U.S.A.
You approach Galveston and Houston from the Atlantic into the enormous Bay of Mexico, either through the Straits of Florida between the U.S.A. and Cuba or through the Yucatan channel between Mexico and Cuba.
Either way, the ship can basically continue straight ahead and you reach the small opening into Galveston Bay, offering safe anchorage. Galveston is located on the Gulf intra-coastal waterway along Galveston Island and the Texas coast.
Turning port you are in the harbour, in which you see all types of ships: supply ships, passenger vessels, car carriers, livestock carriers, container ships, bulk carriers – and oil rigs too and even a local fishing industry attracting beautiful pelicans!
Further into the bay you reach the inland port city of Houston. You go up the Buffalo Bayou, today part of the Houston Ship Channel, which has one of the world's greatest concentrations of industries, handling oil, natural gas, sulphur and lime. Originally a cotton port, oil was discovered in 1901 transforming Houston into a leading oil and petrochemical port.
From Galveston it is about 80km to Houston, so it is a fair distance to reach this inland port. In the city itself it is hard to understand that you are actually in a great and fantastic port city as the ships are hidden away amongst streets and coastal plains, with an elevation of only 12m above sea level.
It is not easy to fathom these ports, which are truly fantastic in location, structure and size and we with the Ferryl Anticorrosive Products are proud to be part of them.
