Coast Guard issues partial reopening of the Houston-Galveston captain of the port zone

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard HOUSTON - Information Center Office: (281) 464-4985 (281) 464-4982 USCG Eighth District Heartland NEW ORLEANS - Public Affairs Office Office: (504) 671-2020 After Hours: (618) 225-9008

Coast Guard issues partial re-opening of the Houston-Galveston captain of the port zone

 

HOUSTON — As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, the captain of the port for Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston opened the ports of Houston, Texas City, Galveston, and Freeport with the following restrictions:

• Vessel draft cannot exceed 33 feet for the ports of Texas City, Galveston and Freeport.
• Vessel draft cannot exceed 37 feet for the Port of Houston.
• All vessel traffic is limited to daylight hours.

Current assessments indicate severe currents and hazards on the upper Houston ship channel from Morgan’s Point inbound to the turning basin; that portion of the channel remains closed for vessel movements until conditions improve and more information is obtained.

The partial re-opening of the port allows critical maritime commerce to resume.

All mariners are reminded to proceed with extreme caution due to strong currents, debris runoff, unmarked hazards and missing or off-station navigational aids. Please report any hazardous conditions to the Sector Houston-Galveston Command Center at (281) 464-4851.

“While urban search and rescue remains our top priority, we understand the importance of reopening ports and waterways, which are vital to the flow of goods and services throughout our nation,” said Capt. Kevin D. Oditt, captain of the port and incident commander for the Hurricane Harvey response. “We have commenced efforts to assess the condition of the ports and waterways to reopen the ports of Houston, Texas City, Galveston, and Freeport when it is safe to do so.”

 

-USCG-