The Port of Galveston deepwater port project: selected cost, economic and environmental aspects

Abstract

The Port of Galveston has proposed a plan to establish a multipurpose, onshore deepwater port to serve the draft requirements of large liquid and dry bulk carriers of up to 240,000 dwt, fully loaded. The main feature of this plan involves increasing the draft from the current 40 feet to 67 feet and establishing terminal facilities that are centered on the northeast corner of Pelican Island within the Port. This present study contains an evaluation of selected issues as they relate to the Galveston deepwater port development project. For the purpose of comparative analysis, the evaluation has been segmented into four alternative levels of deepwater port development at Galveston - ranging from an alternative of providing a 55-foot draft in which only dry bulk carriers would be served, to a fully integrated multipurpose (that is, serving both dry bulk and oil) deepwater port with a 67-foot draft. To provide a perspective on the offshore deepwater oil terminal being proposed by SEADOCK as it relates to the Galveston deepwater port project, the SEADOCK facility has been included in certain of the comparative analyses.