HOUSTON | Ports/Industry Thread

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Here is a thread for developments among the regional ports and the various industrial clusters surrounding them.

Area Ports

Port Houston: https://porthouston.com/

Port of Galveston/Galveston Wharves: https://www.portofgalveston.com/

Port of Texas City: https://tctrr.com/

Port Freeport: https://www.portfreeport.com/

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https://www.ajot.com/news/fresh-del-...tart-next-year

Fresh Del Monte and Port Freeport sign lease agreement to start next year

posted by AJOT | Aug 15 2023 at 01:10 PM | Ports & Terminals

Port Freeport is pleased to announce the execution of a Lease Agreement to commence in 2024 with Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (Del Monte), one of the world’s leading producers, distributors, and marketers of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, with products sold in more than 80 countries around the world. The company also owns Network Shipping, its third-party ocean logistics arms that carries goods between the Americas. Del Monte ships will offer weekly calls to Port Freeport to import bananas, pineapples, and plantains, serving a large portion of the Texas market and beyond.

“Port Freeport Commission expresses thanks to the Del Monte and Port teams who have worked diligently in making this partnership materialize. This partnership will create positive economic impacts for our district,” said Port Commissioner Chairman Ravi Singhania. “Del Monte will be a great addition to our community with their commitment to the environment and their goal of working towards a sustainable future.”

Del Monte will relocate its western U.S. Gulf operation to Port Freeport in 2024 after the completion of modifications to Velasco Container Terminal by adding more than 500 refrigerated container (“reefer”) plugs. Del Monte also has marine operations in the following U.S. ports: Port Hueneme, California, Port Manatee, Florida and Gloucester, Pennsylvania. After the relocation, Port Freeport will be the only U.S. port with the “big three” multinational green fruit importers at the same terminal.

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https://www.houstonchronicle.com/bus...k-18193504.php

Galveston's cruise industry has returned stronger than ever after the pandemic

Erica Grieder,
Staff writer
July 16, 2023

Summer is generally the busiest season for the Port of Galveston’s cruise business, and this year is shaping up to be its busiest yet, according to the port's captain.

Rodger Rees, the port's director and CEO, says the port is on track to welcome an estimated 1.3 million cruise passengers this year, three years after COVID-19 all but sank the business in 2020 and again in 2021.

Last year marked a return to normal, with about a million passengers sailing out of Galveston, Rees said.

“2019 was the best year we’d ever had. 2022 pretty much equaled that,” he said Thursday, noting that the port saw about a million passengers come through last year. “Now, in 2023, we’re looking at a 30 percent increase in passengers. Carnival ships are going out 100 percent occupied. You can’t get one till November, probably."

The relatively small size of Galveston Island, Rees said, might someday cap its cruising activity, but the port's cruising business still has room to grow. And there are other signs that give Reese reason to believe that there's smooth sailing ahead.

The port this week was recertified as a Green Marine port, a voluntary environmental program for the North American maritime industry that the port joined in 2019. Royal Caribbean's new terminal, which opened in December, is bringing the line's large Oasis-class ships to Galveston for the first time. The Port of Galveston also expects to begin renovating a cold storage warehouse — now used for shipments of melons and bananas — into another terminal when its lease runs out in April; that terminal will likely be used by Norwegian and MSC Cruises, a Swiss line that currently doesn't sail from Galveston.

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https://transportationtodaynews.com/...ontainer-teus/

Port Houston sees biggest July ever for container TEUs
BY LIZ CAREY | AUGUST 28, 2023 | NEWS

Port Houston said it experienced the largest container volume in July this year with more than 344,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) handled during the month.

The record container volume represents a 5 percent increase over the same period in 2022. So far this year, the port has seen 2,202,538 TEUs, only 1 percent less than last year’s record volume.

Officials noted the port has three new ship-to-shore cranes at its Bayport Container Terminal, part of an expansion plan to add a wharf at that location.

“These continued investments at Port Houston terminals are part of an overall strategic plan that aims to facilitate smooth flow of goods, create new, good-paying jobs, and drive overall prosperity for our region,” Roger Guenther, Executive Director at Port Houston, said. “The Houston market continues to thrive, and we are well-positioned now and for the future.”

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https://www.ship-technology.com/news...nnect-network/

News
August 21, 2023

Port of Houston joined the Portchain Connect network

This partnership allows Port Houston to speed up and increase the quality of its berth alignment.

By Cat Vitale

The Port of Houston, TX, USA, has partnered with Portchain Connect to increase communication with its customers and improve its overall berth alignment.

Portchain Connect makes use of AI for streamlining communication and data, which includes the use of automatic identification systems for the embedded tracking of vessels.

The features of the Portchain Connect network include a digital handshake for vessel ETAs and ETDs, connected data streams and alert subscriptions.

The software solution allows Port Houston to share its berthing plans digitally, meaning operating companies and ship captains can be notified of schedule changes instantaneously.

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https://www.houstonchronicle.com/bus...g-18277666.php

Pete Buttigieg, local officials celebrate Port of Houston Wharf 6 opening

Erica Grieder
Aug. 5, 2023
Updated: Aug. 7, 2023 9:44 a.m.

The Port of Houston was bustling with activity Friday morning, despite the sweltering heat, as dignitaries including U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, gathered at the Bayport Container Terminal in Seabrook to celebrate the opening of its newest wharf.

"It doesn't seem that exciting. At first glance, it's a concrete slab," said Ric Campo, chairman of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority, in praise of the new Wharf 6. "But in reality, it's really a whole lot more. This wharf represents the future of our port."

The $91.6 million Wharf 6 project includes 1,000 feet of new container wharf, marine bollards and fiber optic cabling. The federal Port Infrastructure Development Program chipped in $21.84 million for the work, as well as some $18 million to support a related project, Buttigieg said, expanding the Bayport terminal's container yard.

America's ports played a front-line role during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, Campo said, as workers navigated the pandemic itself and several knock-on effects: disrupted supply chains and increased consumer demand for cargo.

"For the last three years, we have seen double-digit cargo growth year-over-year," Campo said. The new wharf, he added, will help the port of Houston keep up with demand.

The port of Houston is considered one of the fastest-growing in the United States. In May, Campo announced that after handling record import and export volume in 2022, Port Houston is the fifth largest container port in the United States, up from seventh, handling 7 percent of all container tonnage.

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https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/outreach/back-to-school/port-houston-maritime-program-for-high-school-students/285-822c04c0-6731-44ce-847e-0234a36a4fdc

Maritime program offers Houston high school students a career ahead of graduation


Started back in 2009 with just two local high schools, the program has now grown to seven schools across six different districts with nearly 1,000 students.

Author: Michelle Choi
Published: 1:58 PM CDT August 7, 2023
Updated: 1:58 PM CDT August 7, 2023

HOUSTON — It’s never too early to start thinking about what comes after high school. A great option is trade school, and you don't have to wait until graduation to get started.

High schools here in Houston can prepare students for a vocational career that includes a maritime program offered by Port Houston.

"We are probably Houston’s best-kept secret, and that's one of the myths we're trying to break," Jacquie Young, Maritime Education Outreach Manager – Port Houston, said.

The word they're working to spread is about Port Houston's maritime education program.

"About 50% of the people who work along the Houston Ship Channel and at Port Houston are over the age of 50, so we needed to figure out how do we infuse and encourage that next generation of maritime talent,” Young said.

• Video Link

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https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...Pos=2#cxrecs_s

State of the Port: Port Houston growing with new headquarters, other investments

By Sofia Gonzalez – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Sep 6, 2023

From its upcoming headquarters move to its ongoing $1 billion Project 11 expansion, Port Houston has significant growth efforts underway, officials said at the Greater Houston Partnership's annual State of the Port on Sept. 6.

In July, Port Houston announced it plans to move its headquarters to a new 95,000-square-foot space in Houston-based Midway’s East River mixed-use development. During a panel discussion at the event, Maria Aguirre, director of community relations for Port Houston, said the Port is excited to be part of Fifth Ward’s growth and contribute to the economic development of the area.

The new building will be six floors and will house various Port Houston departments such as government relations, community relations, public relations and human resources, among others. It is expected to break ground in spring 2024 and has an anticipated completion date of summer 2025.

During the discussion, Aguirre said she believes that other maritime businesses might join the movement to this area of Houston as well. The Houston Maritime Center also plans to move to the East River development, with its reopening now expected in early 2024, according to the museum's website.

In the meantime, Port Houston’s Project 11 is currently underway. The first portion of the project, Segment 1A, which runs from Bolivar to Redfish, was completed in February 2023 on schedule and on budget. New Jersey-based Weeks Marine and California-based Curtin Maritime are currently working on the remaining Galveston Bay segments.

Leia Wilson, Houston Ship Channel operations manager at Port Houston, said during the panel that the portion under construction is from Redfish to Bayport Ship Channel along with the Bayport Ship Channel itself, also known as Segment 1B and Segment 2. Another bid will be out later this year for the next portion, while the expansion of the Barbours Cut Terminal — the last portion of the Galveston Bay region expansion — will be executed by the U.S. Army Corp, she said.

The portions of the project that fall within the Galveston Bay region are expected to be completed by late 2024, said Ric Campo, chairman of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority.

“Project 11 is the fastest, largest federal project that has ever been done,” Campo said.

In the request for proposal process, sustainability and sound mitigation were included to ensure Port Houston is mindful of its neighbors, Wilson said. However, the project is still lacking funds. Campo said it needs an additional $180 million in federal funding.

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https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/...er-move-120559

Port Houston To Turn Prime Waterfront Admin Building Into ‘Revenue-Generating Real Estate’

September 7, 2023
Maddy McCarty, Bisnow Houston

While Port Houston is breaking container volume records, recording its biggest July ever, it is also planning to develop real estate, speakers said at Greater Houston Partnership’s State of the Port event Wednesday.

Port Houston previously announced that it is moving its administrative offices from Turning Basin Terminal near Loop 610 East to Midway’s new East River development in the Fifth Ward, keeping it along the Ship Channel, but farther inland.

Port of Houston Authority Commission Chairman Ric Campo revealed some plans for the current administration building at Wednesday’s event, but stopped short of offering specifics.

“We're going to take the old building and turn it into revenue-generating real estate,” Campo said. “That creates more value and then ultimately helps neighbors as well.”

The current administration building’s location is prime real estate, Port Houston Community Relations Director Maria Aguirre said.

“It’s by the water,” Aguirre said. “We want to make sure that we're developing that and using that for economic development.”

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https://www.galvnews.com/news/galves...5e64a8ae6.html

Galveston council OKs $51M port bond on second vote

By B. SCOTT McLENDON The Daily News
9 hrs ago

GALVESTON

City council members unanimously approved a $50.8 million bond package to pay for expansion projects port officials say are necessary to maintain growth.

The proposal allows the Port of Galveston, a utility of the city, to take on almost $51 million in debt in part for berth improvements to accommodate a massive passenger liner at Cruise Terminal 25.

The propsition initially failed Aug. 25 for lack of a supermajority of the city council — six out of the seven council members have to vote in favor. Councilwoman Sharon Lewis was absent for the vote, but all other members voted in favor.

Council approval of the revenue bonds is a pivotal moment for the port, Harry Maxwell, chairman of the Wharves Board of Trustees, said.

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https://thefacts.com/news/no-more-m-...261550532.html

Port commissioners approve eliminating operations tax rate

No more M&O tax rate for Port Freeport taxpayers

By EMILY HANSON
emily.hanson@thefacts.com
Sep 15, 2023
Updated Sep 15, 2023

A historic moment has happened at Port Freeport.

Effective Oct. 1, Port Freeport taxpayers will no longer need to pay a maintenance and operations tax, answering a long-heard call for the entity to be self-supporting.

During the Port Commission meeting Thursday, the board voted 5-1 to zero out the M&O tax rate.

“This is the largest tax cut in Port Freeport history,” Commission Vice Chairman Rob Giesecke said.

The lone dissenting vote came from Commissioner Rudy Santos, who believed the port should have taken a more incremental approach to eliminating that portion of the rate.

“I am against it going to zero so fast,” Santos said after the meeting. “My plan was to do a three- or four-year plan to get to zero. I wanted to go slow with it. I’m very proud of the port and what we’ve been doing.”

Giesecke said now that the M&O tax rate is zero, it will require voter approval to bring it back.

Port Commission Chairman Ravi Singhania said the decision to zero out the tax rate was done very carefully.

“For the last seven years, we have been operating the port without the M&O tax rate funds; those went into reserve,” he said.

Despite the Port Commission board’s action to zero it, taxpayers will still see the port on their property tax bills.

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https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...Pos=0#cxrecs_s

Exxon Mobil starts up $2 billion expansion of Baytown chemical facility


By Naomi Klinge – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Sep 19, 2023

Spring-based Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) has started up a $2 billion expansion of its Baytown manufacturing facility with two new chemical production units and the company's entrance into a new chemical market.

One of the units will produce 350,000 tonnes per year of linear alpha olefins, branded as Elevexx products, marking Exxon’s entry into the market. These products are used for plastic packaging, high-performing engine and industrial oils, and other applications in cleaning and pipelines.

The second unit will produce 400,000 tonnes per year of performance polymers, branded as Vistamaxx and Exact polymer modifiers, which enhance the performance of a range of chemical products. These products are used in automotive parts, construction materials, personal care products and various packaging applications.

“With startup of these two new lines, ExxonMobil is delivering high-value materials for a variety of products that society depends on every day,” Karen McKee, president of ExxonMobil Product Solutions, said in a press release.

The project has been in the works since at least 2018. It started construction in 2021 after reaching a final investment decision in 2019.

While the expansion was under construction, the project supported more than 3,500 jobs, and it will directly employ 200 more people, Exxon said.

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https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...Pos=0#cxrecs_s

Carnival Cruise Line to homeport Carnival Legend ship in Galveston


By Olivia Pulsinelli – Assistant managing editor, Houston Business Journal
Sep 21, 2023
Updated Sep 21, 2023 2:35pm CDT

Carnival Cruise Line, part of Miami-based Carnival Corp. & PLC (NYSE: CCL, CUK), is bringing yet another ship to Galveston.

Carnival Legend will homeport in Galveston starting in fall 2025, the company said Sept. 21. It will offer a variety of four- through 10-day Western Caribbean sailings plus a few Panama Canal cruises.

For Carnival Legend's move to Galveston, the ship will sail a 16-day Carnival Journeys cruise that departs San Francisco on Oct. 6, 2025. That trip includes stops in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Puntarenas, Costa Rica, before transiting the Panama Canal and then visiting Cartagena, Colombia, before arriving in Galveston.

A second 14-day Carnival Journeys cruise, roundtrip from Galveston, departs on Feb. 2, 2026. Three 10-day Panama Canal cruises will depart Oct. 27 and Dec. 8, 2025, and March 16, 2026.

For the Western Caribbean sailings, Carnival Legend will alternate between shorter and longer cruises from fall 2025 through early 2026.

“Carnival Legend’s deployment in Galveston strengthens our already robust portfolio of sailings from Texas, adding more variety to the offered itineraries, as well as another ship choice, and more opportunities for cruises to Mexico and other Western Caribbean that fit any vacation length,” Fred Stein, Carnival’s vice president of revenue planning and deployment, said in a press release.

Carnival Legend is 963 feet long and has a capacity of 2,124 guests plus 930 onboard crew. Onboard dining includes Lido Marketplace, Guy's Burger Joint, Seaday Brunch, BlueIguana Cantina, Bonsai Sushi and more. Onboard activities include the Punchliner Comedy Club, WaterWorks Aqua Park, Playlist Productions, Serenity Adult-Only Retreat, Camp Ocean for kids and more.

Ahead of Carnival Legend's arrival, Carnival Miracle will homeport in Galveston from fall 2024 to spring 2025, the company announced in March. With the addition of Carnival Miracle and then Carnival Legend, Carnival Cruise Line will have a total of four ships sailing out of Galveston.

In Galveston, the company currently operates Carnival Breeze, which offers four- and five-day cruises; Carnival Dream, which sails mostly six- and eight-day cruises; and Carnival Vista, which offers seven-day cruises. Carnival Jubilee is slated to replace Vista.

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https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...Pos=2#cxrecs_s

Global energy companies partner on ammonia production and export project on Houston Ship Channel

By Naomi Klinge – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Oct 3, 2023

Four companies are partnering to develop a low-carbon ammonia production and export project on the Houston Ship Channel.

Tokyo-based Inpex Corp., Paris-based Air Liquide Group, Oklahoma City-based LSB Industries Inc. (NYSE: LXU) and Houston-based Vopak Moda Houston LLC, a 50-50 joint venture between Houston-based Moda Midstream LLC and Dutch terminals company Royal Vopak, are collaborating on pre-front-end engineering and design work for the potential project.

If the development proceeds, the project plans to produce more than 1.1 million tonnes per annum of ammonia by the end of 2027, with expansion opportunities possible in the future.

A feasibility study was completed this year.

“The worldwide movement to decarbonize industry and transportation will drive strong global demand for low-carbon ammonia,” Maria Ciliberti, Vopak's president for U.S. and Canada, and Jonathan Ackerman, Moda Midstream's co-founder and CEO, said in a joint statement. “Vopak Moda has invested in our talented, experienced workforce and state-of-the-art storage and marine infrastructure to be a leader in the emerging low-carbon ammonia export market. We believe the unbeatable combination of project expertise, technology, off-taker relationships and market credibility position Vopak Moda, Air Liquide, Inpex and LSB to be first movers for a new wave of low-carbon energy exports.”

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https://www.galvnews.com/news/port-o...d90797017.html

Port of Galveston receives largest state grant in its history

By LAURA ELDER
The Daily News
Sep 28, 2023

GALVESTON

In the single largest grant allocation ever bestowed on the public docks, the state has awarded the Port of Galveston $42.3 million for three projects that include improvements to cargo infrastructure and an enclosed pedestrian walkway to serve cruise passengers who for years have had to walk across busy Harborside Drive to board ships.

The grant was a coup for the island port and others in Texas and was made possible when the 88th Texas Legislature allocated $640 million for Texas ports to use inside and outside their gates, Port Director Rodger Rees said.

For the first time, the legislature allocated $200 million for the Maritime Infrastructure Program, which applies to projects within port gates. Another $400 million was allocated to the Ship Channel Improvement Revolving Fund.

The landlord Galveston port for decades had neglected its infrastructure and because of that has struggled to attract new cargo tenants that could boost revenues. The port in March said it was considering issuing $100 million in bonds to help fund much-needed, time-sensitive projects, including expansion of the West Port Cargo Complex.

Much of that work, including the cargo complex and a proposed fourth cruise terminal, are included in the port’s 20-Year Strategic Master Plan adopted in 2019. The plan details more than $600 million in critical projects, including an interior roadway and rehabilitation of long-neglected, deteriorating docks.

But money to pay for all the infrastructure work has been elusive. The port’s total operating revenue last year was $52.9 million against $36.9 million in expenses, according to its annual financial statements.

Although a public entity and a utility of the city, the port receives no tax revenue. In lieu of taxes, it pays the city more than $200,000 a year and this year agreed to fees and surcharges against cruise business that will eventually send another $2 million or so to the city each year.

The state money — essentially three grants — comes from the Texas Department of Transportation’s Maritime Infrastructure Program with a $15.75 million match from the port. That match can be paid over two years, giving the port some breathing room, Wharves Board Chairman Vic Pierson said. With the port’s match, the infrastructure investment will be about $57 million, Pierson said.

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Port Freeport





https://thefacts.com/news/historic-funds-will-allow-for-port-improvements/article_05801d1a-e1da-595a-a84b-3a8ec3abe9b1.html

Historic funds will allow for port improvements

By EMILY HANSON
emily.hanson@thefacts.com
Oct 24, 2023
Updated 13 hrs ago

FREEPORT — Port Freeport has received a tremendous influx of cash from the Texas Legislature.

Executive Director/CEO Phyllis Saathoff knows exactly how to put that money to good use.

“The Legislature allocated $40 million to state highway projects which connect the port roadways to the highways,” Saathoff recently told The Facts. “There had been $100 million allocated leading up to this session, and we have applied before and one of the projects that received funding previously was a section of state Highway 36 widening. So we worked with our local TxDOT department and brought those funds to our community.”

The Texas Transportation Commission approved $240 million in funding for ports to “help increase trade, improve safety, and provide a more robust supply chain for our state and the nation,” according to a Sept. 29 news release from Gov. Greg Abbott’s office.

From those $240 million, Port Freeport has received more than $16 million.

The money will be divided among three projects within the port’s grounds, Saathoff said:

$950,547 will go toward Gate 4 Access improvements;

$3.8 million will go to East Fifth Street improvements; and,

$11.57 million will be used for the Area 5 Storage facilities.

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https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...Pos=2#cxrecs_s

John Cockerill Hydrogen enters US with planned manufacturing facility in Baytown

By Naomi Klinge – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Oct 25, 2023

Electrolyzer manufacturer John Cockerill Hydrogen is planning a facility in Baytown and aims to expand the hydrogen sector in the Houston area with its entrance into the U.S. market.

John Cockerill Hydrogen, a fully owned subsidiary of Belgium-based John Cockerill Group, has already acquired a manufacturing space in Baytown and has a local head office in Houston. Annually, the new facility is expected to produce a gigawatt of electrolyzers, which are used in the water electrolysis process to produce green hydrogen.

The manufacturing facility will create 200 jobs in the area, and its products will serve the North American market with a domestic supply chain of green hydrogen production equipment.

“We are excited for the U.S. launch, the first step in our partnership journey with North American businesses and stakeholders who seek to decarbonize and advance the energy transition,” said François Michel, CEO of John Cockerill Group.

Production is expected to begin by the third quarter of 2024 at the earliest. The company said it will be among the first operational alkaline manufacturing facilities of its size in the U.S.

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https://www.houstonchronicle.com/bus...e-18457533.php

Soon-to-close Houston refinery is part of DOE's $1.2B hydrogen hub plan in Houston

Amanda Drane,
Staff Writer
Oct. 30, 2023
Updated: Oct. 30, 2023 6:09 p.m.

LyondellBasell confirmed its plans to convert its Houston refinery into a hydrogen facility during an earnings call Friday, saying the soon-to-be-shuttered facility is now on track to participate in Houston’s HyVelocity hydrogen hub, one of seven hubs selected earlier this month by the Biden administration to receive as much as $1.2 billion each in federal funding.

Though the Biden administration’s decision to include the Houston hub is a significant development, LyondellBasell CEO Peter Vanacker said during the call, “a lot of steps” stand stand between the company and redevelopment of its refinery along the Houston Ship Channel.

“In the transformation of our Houston refinery, we have multiple projects that we are currently looking at,” Vanacker said, noting the potential to use equipment and pipeline connections at the site for use in its plastics production.

Other members of the HyVelocity hydrogen hub include the University of Texas at Austin, oil majors Chevron and Exxon, gas supplier Air Liquide, AES Corp., Mitsubishi Power Americas, Ørsted, Sempra Infrastructure, the nonprofit Center for Houston’s Future and GTI Energy, a research-and-development nonprofit.

LyondellBasell, a multinational chemicals giant headquartered in Houston, has not made a final decision about how it will repurpose the Houston refinery, which it plans to close in early 2025. It originally intended to close the facility this year but delayed those plans to firm up the site’s afterlife and allow for a smoother transition for the roughly 1,000 people who work at the facility — believed to be the oldest in Houston.

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https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...Pos=2#cxrecs_s

Here’s how HyVelocity could build out its Houston-area hydrogen hub projects

By Jishnu Nair – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Nov 1, 2023

A few weeks after the Department of Energy picked the HyVelocity Hub bid for a potential Gulf Coast hydrogen hub, officials with the consortium revealed more details about the proposed project during an Oct. 30 webinar.

HyVelocity is a consortium spearheaded by the Center for Houston’s Future, a nonprofit associated with the Greater Houston Partnership, and GTI Energy, an Illinois-based research organization focused on new energy. The consortium’s core industry partners include AES Corp. (NYSE: AES), Air Liquide, Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX), Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), Mitsubishi Power Americas, Orsted and Sempra Infrastructure, most of which have a presence in Houston.

If award negotiations go smoothly, the federal government could award HyVelocity up to $1.2 billion in funding for a series of projects that would produce blue hydrogen — which is sourced from natural gas, with carbon emissions captured and stored — and green hydrogen, which is made using renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen so no emissions are created during the process.

Liz Dalton, an executive director with GTI, clarified that currently, existing gray hydrogen sites — which use natural gas to produce hydrogen, but do not capture excess carbon emissions — would not be retrofitted to produce blue or green hydrogen.

Dalton estimated that 80% of the hydrogen produced from the hub would be blue hydrogen, while 20% would be green hydrogen. However, Brian Korgel, a professor with the University of Texas, estimated that the project split would be 60-40 in favor of blue hydrogen projects. The hub is expected to produce over 5,000 metric tons of hydrogen per day.

“We’re in the proposal phase," Dalton said in response to a viewer question. "As we get into the first and second phases, we’ll have more fidelity and clarity about the resources involved.”

Plans for the hub include both green and blue hydrogen production, salt cavern hydrogen storage, a large open-access hydrogen pipeline, and multiple hydrogen refueling stations. Todd Shrader, a project management director with the DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Division, said during the webinar that salt storage would be used to enhance total storage capacity at the hub.

Trucks powered with hydrogen fuel cells would also make up part of the hub economy. At least 10 hydrogen fueling stations are set to be installed on routes between Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, according to a preliminary construction map shared during the Oct. 30 webinar.

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https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...Pos=2#cxrecs_s

Princess Cruises brings Regal Princess to Galveston, company's largest ship to homeport in Texas

By Olivia Pulsinelli – Assistant managing editor, Houston Business Journal
Nov 8, 2023

Santa Clarita, California-based Princess Cruises has made a big splash in Galveston less than a year after returning to Texas.

Regal Princess is now sailing out of Galveston, making it the largest Princess ship ever based in the Lone Star State, the company said Nov. 5. The 1,083-foot ship has a guest capacity of 3,560 and carries 1,346 crew members.

From Galveston, Regal Princess will sail 21 roundtrip voyages to the Western Caribbean through March 24. The ship is expected to carry about 75,000 travelers during that time. The voyages will range from seven to 12 days and visit destinations such as Cozumel, Mexico; Costa Maya, Mexico; and Roatan, Honduras.

Princess has sailed from Texas off and on in the past. Most recently, the company brought Ruby Princess to Galveston in December 2022. The ship left Galveston in April.

Prior to that, Princess last sailed from Galveston nearly a decade ago. In the interim, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NCLH) and Princess Cruises inked deals at the Port of Houston's now-defunct Bayport Cruise Terminal in 2012, thanks in part to a $7 million marketing incentive from the Port of Houston Authority. However, the deals came to an end in 2016, and the terminal was repurposed.

Meanwhile, the Port of Galveston has welcomed several new cruise ships in recent years — with more on the way.