Houston spends US$10 million on eco-upgrade of container terminal

THE Port of Houston Authority (PHA) has approved US$10 million in environmental upgrades for Bayport Container Terminal.

Harbour commissioners approved a construction contract for Bayport North Shore Landscaping for $223,657. Trees and shrubbery planted in 2000 as part of the Bayport Channel Stabilisation project.

They also approved the of Morgan's Point sidewalk construction for $68,096, which will also provide recreational benefits as a part of the port authority's commitment to the community.

Approval was also given for the construction of the concrete replacement of Wharfs Nos. 23, 26 and 29 for $2.03 million

Commissioners also approved the receipt of competitive bids for the Bayport Container Terminal Administration Building for $8 - $10.5 million. As part of the authority's commitment to environmental stewardship, the commission will seek certification by the US Green Building Council as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) structure.

The commission also approved an agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers on maintenance dredging to expedite the maintenance of portions of the Houston Ship Channel by voluntarily contributing $400.000 to be used by the corps for non-federal work attendant to the dredging.

The commission approved month-to-month lease agreements with VPSI Inc. to lease vans under the METROVan Programme for $180,000.The Port authority expects that programme will be fully implemented by the end of the year with up to 15 vans operating.

At full implementation, the programme will reduce about 0.76 tons of NOx, 0.86 tons of VOC and 805 tons of Co2 each year. Additionally, the programme will result in nearly 1.5 million fewer vehicle miles, 105 fewer road vehicles on the road and 82,000 fewer gallons of vehicle fuel consumption per year. About 14 per cent of commission employees are currently participating in the programme, said the port authority statement.

The Port of Houston Authority owns and operates the public facilities located along the Port of Houston, the 25-mile-long complex ofdiversified public and private facilities designed for handling general cargo, containers, grain and other dry bulk materials, project and heavy lift cargo, and other types of cargo. Each year, more than 7,700 vessels call at the port, which ranks first in the US in foreign waterborne tonnage and second in overall total tonnage.