°®¶¹´«Ã½

Container ships bound for Houston called on other ports as Hurricane Harvey slogged its way across the upper Texas coast and into the history books.

More ships sailed into the Houston Ship Channel on Sept. 1 in what will be a parade of vessels laden with crude oil, consumer goods and cruise passengers that have been unable to dock in a region devastated by Hurricane Harvey.

Capt. Tom Goodwin stood on the bridge of an oil tanker and looked upon the familiar Bayport Container Terminal. But instead of peering out a vessel’s front windows, he was in a high-tech simulator gazing intently at 13 monitors.

Ships are not getting any smaller. Legislation now headed to the Texas House would create a revolving loan fund to help ports deepen and widen their ship channels to accommodate them.

Some manufacturers are concerned that regional infrastructure won't be prepared for the impending influx of petrochemical-related cargo through the Port of Houston, a topic discussed Nov. 2 during the Harris County International Trade and Transportation Conference.

Port of Houston Authority officials acted quickly to deliver stranded cargo after Hanjin Shipping Co. sought bankruptcy protection, offering to move and release the containers for a reduced fee.

Low oil prices slowed the volume of general cargo the Port of Houston Authority handled in the first five months of the year, commissioners said June 28.Yet, signaling long-term confidence, the Port Commission also awarded a contract for up to $34.4 million to buy three cranes for its Bayport Container Terminal.